There’s a lot to talk about with The Naked Gun legacyquel, with the largest subject, of course, being the potential revival of theatrical comedy through the 2025 movie schedule. However, I don’t hear enough people making noise over the fact that Ms. Pamela Anderson continues to build a launchpad for her career renaissance.
I can’t let this slide, but rather than read the world its rights (I don’t have a big enough megaphone), I’ll instead write my case for why audiences need to start stoking the fires in the engine known as “the Pamaissance.” (Name pending, but I'm open to pitches!)
Pamela Anderson’s Comedy Chops Finally Got Their Due With The Naked Gun
In recent years, the world has come to appreciate Ms. Anderson all over again. Fully dropping her label as a Baywatch sex symbol, the Canadian-American actor peeled back the veil of her life and times in 2023 - through both a memoir and the eye-opening Netflix documentary Pamela, a Love Story.
However, Pamela Anderson has always had sharp comedic timing, and she’s shown that to the world for at least 20 years. One could say that the first clue that should have tipped us off was her appearance in the cold open for 2003’s Scary Movie 3 - which you can watch below:
By the time Anderson’s story about her Borat cameo made the rounds, there was no way around the conclusion that the VIP star knew how to walk the fine line of parody. People are finally starting to recognize what I highlighted in our Naked Gun review as a talent that Hollywood wasn’t giving her a chance to fully indulge in.
With that particular door opened, I need to also recognize a couple of projects Pamela Anderson had landed over the past year. Through these other highlights, the case for her career renaissance blossoms into something open for further diversity in opportunities.
The Last Showgirl And Her Criterion Closet Video Are Further Proof Of Pamela Anderson’s Multifaceted Talents
If we really want to talk about where the buzz around Ms. Pamela started, we should be looking back at 2024’s The Last Showgirl. A drama in which Anderson plays a Las Vegas showgirl on her way out of the business, critics heralded this bittersweet drama as basically a revelation (one that you can, thankfully, stream through a Hulu subscription).
Something else I think more people need to experience is Pamela Anderson’s trip to the hallowed Criterion Closet. Through the clip I’m about to drop below, you can see the breadth of her cinematic knowledge, right down to her choice of passion project she’d love to remake:
Breaking down David Lean’s Summertime to a basic premise, as she does, it’s a single woman’s journey through Venice, in which she stumbles into romance. Hearing the author of Love, Pamela say “I don’t know if anyone would ever think of me for that,” breaks my heart each time.
That moment, arriving right after she beautifully proclaims her love for that picture, only further proves to me that a Pamela Anderson-led remake of Summertime needs to happen. As The Naked Gun’s campaign to “save comedy” continues to attract audiences into theaters, I hope that the world helps champion Ms. Anderson’s dream project and any other opportunity she wants to branch out with.
In an age where “sex symbols” of yesteryear have become better appreciated for their performing talents, that wish coming true would truly be another milestone in “The Pamaissance.” (It’s not the catchiest name, but I’m working with the folks in R&D to come up with something better. “The McConaissance” didn’t happen overnight?)
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