Striptease (1996)
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A former FBI secretary turned stripper becomes entangled in a dangerous web of corrupt politics and a desperate child-custody battle.
The story
Former FBI secretary Erin Grant loses custody of her seven-year-old daughter Angela to her ex-husband Darrell, who is a drug addict and dealer. To raise the $15,000 required for a legal appeal to recover her daughter, Erin begins working as a stripper at the Eager Beaver club in Miami. While searching for information on Darrell's whereabouts, she catches the attention of Congressman David Lane Dilbeck. A local patron, Jerry Killian, proposes a plan to manipulate the influential congressman to settle Erin's custody dispute, unaware of the dangerous political connections and violent underworld associated with Dilbeck's interests.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After losing custody of her daughter Angela to her drug-dealing ex-husband Darrell, Erin Grant becomes a stripper in Miami to fund a legal appeal. She discovers Darrell is using Angela to steal wheelchairs for the black market. Congressman David Lane Dilbeck becomes infatuated with Erin, but his powerful business associates—including sugar barons Willie and Chris Rojo—murder anyone who threatens his political standing. Jerry Killian, a patron, attempts to blackmail Dilbeck into helping Erin, but Jerry is murdered and drowned in Lake Okeechobee. Erin meets Lieutenant Al Garcia, who agrees to help her by ensuring Darrell is dropped as a police informant. After a judge's heart attack delays her appeal, Erin retrieves Angela from Darrell's sister. Meanwhile, attorney Alan Mordecai attempts to blackmail Dilbeck with photos of him assaulting a patron. After several more murders, including Mordecai's, Erin suspects Dilbeck's involvement. She concocts a plan to trap him. During a private show, she forces Darrell and Dilbeck to a sugar refinery where she has invited news crews. She forces Darrell to sign over custody and tricks Dilbeck into confessing to the murders on tape. Garcia and the news crew arrive, leading to Dilbeck's arrest. Erin regains full guardianship of Angela.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrew Bergman
- Writers
- Andrew Bergman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Demi Moore · Erin Grant; Armand Assante; Ving Rhames · Shad; Robert Patrick; Burt Reynolds · Congressman David Lane Dilbeck; Gianni Russo · Willie Rojo; José Zúñiga · Chris Rojo; Eduardo Yáñez · Chico
- Genres
- black comedy; crime comedy; satire; sex comedy
- Themes
- custody battles; political corruption; survival; exploitation
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; lurid; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- FBI agent; stripper; child custody; blackmail; sugar barons
- Source material / true-story basis
- Carl Hiaasen's 1993 best-selling novel of the same name
- Content notes
- nudity
- Reception
- The film was panned by critics and received generally unfavorable reviews, with some noting it failed to balance its genres effectively. It was more successful in the video rental market than in its initial theatrical run.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 11% · review count: 72
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Picture · Win; Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Original Song · Win
- Production trivia
- Demi Moore was the highest-paid film actress at the time of the film's release.; The film was shown in a fourth-grade class in Chicago, causing controversy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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