We were distracted. For most of her life, Pamela Anderson was being upstaged by "Pamela Anderson." Then Gia Coppola sent her a screenplay by Kate Gersten, and now Ms. Anderson, having given one of the finest performances of this or any year,

Anderson plays an aging Vegas showgirl in the new movie from Gia Coppola. For so many reasons, it's a role only she could meaningfully deliver.

While Pamela Anderson gives a raw, poignant performance that’s likely the best of her career, ‘The Last Showgirl’ treads well-worn narrative ground.