REVIEW:
Calling all fans of the ’40s and ’50s. The modern-day pinup girl is stealing the spotlight once again in a new documentary from TriCoast Entertainment.
Bombshells and Dollies follows twelve real-life pinup girls as they compete in the Miss Viva Las Vegas Pinup Contest over a weekend that celebrates all things classic – cars, pinup, and rockabilly. The contest encompasses not only beauty (period-accurate hair, makeup, clothing), but also volunteer work, hobbies, careers outside of the pinup world, and overall presence. There’s a meet-and-greet portion where the contestants must win over the people and judges with their conversational skills and personalities. And the contest itself gives awards for best hair, makeup, and clothing, and the top three places.
The documentary takes audiences inside the competition and inside the culture that these women are drawn to so intensely. Some of them started as models who became fascinated with the clothing and culture. Some are drawn to the femininity when their day jobs don’t always allow for it.
It’s an education in the pinup culture from the female point of view and a celebration of femininity, both classic and modern.
From an outsider perspective, it’s fascinating, though while the film focuses mainly on the pageant itself and those involved, it might have been nice to see more of these women outside of the pageant lifestyle. Many of them have stage names (Pinup Lil Bit, Miss Lulu Divine, etc.), but only a brief mention of each of their lives outside of the pageant allows the audience to see who these women are when they’re not pinups. It’d be interesting to see how the culture translates to normal, everyday life.
I admit, it’s not a subject I’m very familiar with, and I definitely learned a lot, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about the culture, or just to embrace femininity with all the enthusiasm these ladies do.
“…She was so confident and so put together…And she just knew who she was as a woman…and was unapologetic…It’s like, ‘yeah, I don’t have to be one of the boys – I’m a woman and I’m beautiful, and I’m fragile and I’m feminine.’ And I’m like, I need more of this in my life.”
Marie Ilene, cinematographer, “Bombshells and Dollies”
For a trailer of Bombshells and Dollies, click here.
The documentary is now available for streaming on most major streaming platforms, including Amazon, Vudu, DirecTV, Vimeo on Demand, InDemand, AT&T, FlixFling, and FANDANGO.
Go check it out!
Women's Film Library Project 
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