YOU DON’T NOMI – The Review

Review by Stephen Tronicek

There are two types of people in the world: Those who think Paul Verhoven’s 1995 film Showgirls is absolutely awful and those who think it is awful, yet incredible in many ways. It’s hard to deny the fact that Verhoven’s over the top vision of sex and violence in America is a doozy of a film. Raunchy, corny, overacted, and very insensitive, Showgirls is like the id of Verhoven horribly showing up and showing you his true face. It’s also, through a certain lens, a pretty good film about the sickness of American capitalism and how it affects sex work. 

This debate is the basis for Jeffrey McHale’s You Don’t Nomi, a documentary about the making of Showgirls and the cultural impact of the film. It samples from a number of sources, like interviews with Verhoven, popular film critics, and people who have built cult movements off of Showgirls. All of this is juxtaposed on-screen with the greatest video essay on the work of Paul Verhoven you’ve ever seen. If you ever had the inkling that Verhoven uses the same visual motifs and plot points (for better or worse) but couldn’t put your nails (haha) on what those motifs maybe, You Don’t Nomi has many of them covered. 

What’s interesting about You Don’t Nomi is the way it accentuates an important element of critical theory, while also providing an entertaining examination of Showgirls. A lot of film discourse seems to have gotten wrapped up in the elements of, “proving,” that someone is right about a particular film. This, of course, is an egotistical simplification. You Don’t Nomi presents the virtues of both appreciating a work for its good aspects, while also being critical of the bad. 

To that end, many of the speakers show great admiration and appreciation for Showgirls. They describe the hilarious quality of the work, but also the value of the work as satire. However, many of the speakers have a lot of great points about the misogyny of Verhoven, and even the condescension of the film. However, You Don’t Nomi feels condescending.

If you are interested in the story of Showgirls or even in critical theory, You Don’t Nomi is the perfect treat for you. It’s a blast of a documentary that proves to be a hilarious and rather sad examination of the fallout of a terribly reviewed film.