Showgirls w/David Schmader • A Benefit for Planned Parenthood

Upon its 1995 release, Paul Verhoeven’s glitzy stripper drama SHOWGIRLS earned some of the most extravagantly awful reviews in cinema history. “A film of thunderous oafishness,” wrote Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, with critics around the globe damning Showgirls as a failure doomed to die in infamy. Only it didn’t. Since its original release, SHOWGIRLS has grown into a full-fledged cult phenomenon, thanks in part to the cinematic missionary work undertaken by David Schmader, the critically acclaimed writer and performer who hosted his first annotated screenings of the film at Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum in 1999. Part art-appreciation lecture, part sit-down comedy routine, all against the backdrop of Verhoeven’s peerlessly offensive, flesh-drenched disaster, SHOWGIRLS with David Schmader was an instant hit, packing theaters in Seattle and touring to film festivals across the country, with Schmader reintroducing Verhoeven’s hideous folly to a generation of filmgoers as the most inadvertent, surreally hilarious comedy in film history. In 2003, Schmader’s theory was confirmed by MGM Studios, which invited Schmader to record his commentary for a special-edition, 10th anniversary Showgirls DVD box set, which was released to acclaim in 2003. (But nothing can top the live show, featuring an audience of aghast others and an annotation-providing host who skips the rape scene and will be donating profits of the night to Planned Parenthood.) “MGM hit the jackpot with writer David Schmader, famous for hosting ‘annotated’ Showgirls screenings in Seattle. He knows precisely why this movie is sublime: ‘Showgirls triumphs in that every single person involved in the making of the film is making the worst possible decision at every possible moment.’ Grade: A.” —Entertainment Weekly “What Schmader does is crystallize the consistency of the movie's badness. He brings an organization to your viewing, a recognition that even seemingly innocuous moments are part of an intricate pattern of badness that affects every aspect of the film. Marvelous.”—Hollywood Reporter “Schmader's irresistibly good-natured and funny commentary stands out as the DVD’s enduring highlight.”—The Onion “David Schmader contributes one of the best commentaries I've ever heard. In it he continually bashes the film, the script, the actors, the concepts and even the jokes, and it's funny as hell. He truly makes this really bad film a horribly enjoyable mess.”—San Francisco Gate “I laughed so hard my ribs still ache.”— The Independent UK