Stripper

Basically it's about several different strippers that are gearing up to participate in a competition at a stripper convention in Las Vegas. The documentary filmmakers follow the girls, get their back story, and watch how things turn out for them at the big show.

In many ways, it prefigures a lot of the "reality" TV stuff that would come out twenty years later. The hook is to develop rooting interests in each of the contestants and see how it all unfolds.

To that end, "Stripper" has both good points and bad points. The good is that the production values are high and it is moderately entertaining to get invested in the dancers' ambitions. It could have been much more exploitative but tries gamely to be, well, a documentary. To a point, it succeeds. The bad is that, like much reality-based drama, many of the scenes feel manufactured and staged for the cameras. The final competition might just as well have been assembled for the purpose of making this film.

A fair amount is superficial and can't be taken seriously. It's the softest of the soft core porn, so those looking for arousal should look elsewhere. But there's more than a glimmer of entertainment and human insight to be had, especially considering that this was done a generation before every empty-souled schnook looking for attention went on reality shows and both producer and viewer alike knew what to expect.

This film does it well back before people started doing it poorly.

The overall story is pretty mild. Life as usual for some women.

For the viewer it can be fascinating to get glimpses into that life. Sure, the scenes seem to be well dressed and not very realistic. But in the moralist context I doubt anyone can show the real footage for the simple reason that the two gangs accept only the extremes: the glamour or the gross and the disgusting. Not taking sides would mean having both gangs against you. And from this stand point the production team does a good job not leaning in any direction.

Also, it's hard to imagine how they did it without the tech common for the 2018.

This movie offers an intimate and emotional look into the backrooms of strip clubs and a look into the behind the scenes of routines, training, and the lives of said dancers.

It doesn't completely dive into the dancers personal lives, however a few of the women in the movie are so earnest and open with their stories.

While maybe not the best documentary about stripping, however it's semi-light hearted and fun.

Watching from 2023, it's very interesting to see how the scene operated back in the day. I wish there was a follow up on these dancers, as I'd love to find out what happened to each one of them and how their lives continued after the movie.

I recently watched Stripper (1985) on Hulu. The "docuseries" follows a couple of ladies and their backstories as they prepare for the first-ever International G-String Tournament in Las Vegas. It delves into their troubles, motivations, and obstacles they face as strippers competing for the grand prize.

Directed by Jerome Gray (Traxx), the film features a vibrant cast of 80s strippers, capturing the era with fun hair, attire, and terminology. The interviews are well-executed, providing the audience with an intimate view of each character. The setup of the characters and their preparation is perfect, and the topless dance sequences are entertaining. While it's known that the contest was created for the film, the term "docuseries" might be a stretch, yet the realness of the girls adds great anticipation for the contest.

Unfortunately, the contest itself feels rushed. It would have been better to showcase more of the contestants who didn't win and provide a comprehensive overview of the scoring and related dramatics. The ending dances are fantastic, but the final reviews and conclusion feel rushed and somewhat unfulfilling. However, it's enjoyable to witness Vegas during this era.

In conclusion, Stripper is a fun docuseries that falls short of greatness but is worth watching once. I would score this a 5.5/10.

I remember when this video hit the old time Mom & Pop video stores in the mid 80s. It had a big promotion, large posters on the walls. Places that would not carry the harder sex videos carried these, or, if you were too embarrassed to go into the "back room", you could still rent this from the front. That's primarily it with this video. It was marketed that way and the box made it look like sleaze. Various strippers are shown and, as filler, we get to see the bahind the scenes of their lives. If it was JUST stripping, it wouldnt qualify as a hoity-toity "documentary" and would have been in that fabled back room. A Stripper's Convention was put together obviously by the video producers (It's a "First Annual"...c'mon ) as an excuse to have a grand stripoff at the end. It's a good look at where stripping was at back then. This was just before "Gentlemen's Clubs" became little more then steroid and silicone driven hard-body gynecology lessons. The ladies are pretty, the dancing may seem a little tame by "Showgirls" standards (which it would make a good double-feature with, call it the "Fast-Forward Film Festival").