When it comes to movies, we all tend to have our favorite genres. I must say one of my favorite categories are stripper movies. The stories are always interesting and of course the dancing is absolutely riveting. Here’s my shortlist of The 7 Best Exotic Dancer Movies:
TOP EXOTIC DANCE MOVIES OF ALL TIME RANKED:
Flash Dance in 1983 with Jennifer BealsThe lead character, Alexa Owens, toils away by day working in a steel mill. But at night the aspiring ballerina finds success moonlighting as an exotic dancer. While professional movie critics lined up to pan the movie, today finds its water splash sequence has become iconic and Flash Dance enjoys a strong cult following.
Showgirls in 1995 with Elizabeth BerkleyWith her dreams of becoming a Las Vegas showgirl going awry, Naomi takes a job as a dancer at a seedy hotel. The narrative story follows her daily trials and tribulations, including some behind the scenes infighting with rival dancer Gina Gershon.
Striptease in 1996 with Demi MooreA struggling single mom falls upon tough times when a congressman becomes obsessive about her. Demi won rave reviews for her body of work and great moves! The movie features other marquee names like Burt Reynolds and Ving Rhames.
Burlesque in 2010 with Christina Aguilera A small-town Iowa girl escapes her sexist boss and makes good in big city LA when she transitions from waitress to dancer, singer, and headline entertainer! We follow her setbacks from a robbery that leaves her flat broke to her on stage triumph. You’ll enjoy seeing Cher, Kristen Bell, and Julianne Hough in this film as well. A nice guilty pleasure of a picture!
Magic Mike in 2012 with Channing TatumThis semi-biographical ode to Channing Tatum’s early career as a dancer was a surprise box office hit. Today it continues to enjoy a huge following. It’s the story of a veteran performer taking a young startup talent under his wing and grooming him to the ropes and the talents to wooing women.
Chocolate City 2015 with Robert Richard A struggling college student takes a job as an exotic dancer in an all-male review. He has to maintain a balancing act between his passionate female fans and hiding his occupation from his mother. This fun film had a limited release and went mainly to video on demand. It has been aired on the BET Network as well.
Hustlers in 2019 with Jennifer Lopez Originally written as an article for The New Yorker, this story is about a crew of female New York City adult entertainers who get off on the wrong foot by drugging and robbing stockbrokers. While that’s all well and good for a story line, JLo justifiably won rave reviews for her pole work and stellar dancing.
Pretty good list, considering we left off The Full Monty and some of the campier crud, huh? What are some titles you think should have made the list?