I just think pretty much any actress in Hollywood could have done the same thing in that role. Faux friendliness and a fake smile aren't exactly challenging things to pull off.
Yeah but I'd have to agree with zarodinu. I can think of plenty of awful stripper performances (by actresses, I'm not going to count actual strippers used in film) and very few convincing ones. Just look at the list: Demi Moore, Lohan, Portman, etc.
By "pretty much any actress" I was basically referring to "any decently regarded actress," a group I don't think Moore and Lohan belong to (and I have to agree with Clovis that Portman was pretty good in Closer). And I don't really feel that Tomei should get any more credit for pulling off being a stripper than an actor does for pulling off a foreign accent. Does that take skill? Yeah, both take skill. But you don't get a good performance by merely doing a great accent, there's more to it than that. I don't really think Tomei brings that something extra to the role, unlike somebody like Mickey Rourke, who not only nails the wrestling aspect but the full life of the character.