Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Reid Carolin
While the perceptions of females in the erotic industries-- be it pornography, strip clubs, or others-- have always tended to be ones of either lustful objectification or conservative scorn, the perceptions of males in those industries usually tends to garner reactions ranging from amusement to straight-up belly laughs, especially when portrayed in film and television.
After all, who doesn't remember the now-legendary "Chippendales" sketch from "Saturday Night Live", where an extremely cut Patrick Swayze dances alongside a less-than-cut Chris Farley? Or the excellent 1997 British comedy The Full Monty, where a group of unemployed and unconventional men bare all to make some cash?
Meanwhile, it seems that when it comes to movies featuring strippers, only the ones with buxom females in the starring roles are meant to purely play to the salacious demands of male viewers (Showgirls, Striptease), while the ladyfolk seemingly don't get their fair share of eye candy in pop culture. And that's where director Steven Soderbergh's terrific dramedy Magic Mike comes in, granting female moviegoers an eyeful of man flesh while still making it enjoyable and accessible enough for all viewers.
Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) is a Tampa-based construction worker and auto detailing entrepreneur who's set on opening his own furniture-making business. In addition to his other two jobs, Mike bankrolls his goal by working as "Magic Mike", the star attraction at Xquisite, a male strip joint owned by Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) and featuring dancers such as Tito (Adam Rodriguez), Tarzan (Kevin Nash), Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello), and Ken (Matt Bomer).
While working a roof tiling job, Mike meets Adam (Alex Pettyfer), a 19-year-old college dropout who lives with his older sister Brooke (Cody Horn), a medical assistant who worries about her brother's future. After getting Adam into a popular nighclub, Mike makes him repay the favor by doing prop work at Xquisite. But when Tarzan becomes too intoxicated to work one of the shows, Mike improvises by having a reluctant Adam dance for the screaming female crowd. His impromptu routine is a hit, and Dallas has Adam-- now known as "The Kid"-- join the troupe.
Even though Brooke is initially disapproving of her brother's choice of work, Adam and Mike help Xquisite reach amazing success-- so much that the venue has a chance of reaching a bigger market in Miami. But Mike's goals of eventually quitting the stripping business are hindered by both his growing feelings for Brooke and Adam's embrace of excess after letting success get to his head.
I never imagined myself wanting to see a movie such as Magic Mike, especially since the commercials and trailers made it seem like it was nonstop beefcake without any semblance of a story. And that was okay with me, because after all, in an age of stoner comedies and sex farces, why couldn't the ladies have some R-rated guilty pleasure at the movies for once?
However, my interest was definitely piqued when I learned that Steven Soderbergh-- the Oscar-winning renaissance man behind Traffic, the Ocean's trilogy, and Erin Brockovich-- was in the director's chair. As a huge fan of the quality and quantity of his work (this is the second film of his released this year, with the great action thriller Haywire in theaters this past January), I knew that this would be no mere "stripper movie for chicks".
In fact, I'd say that Magic Mike gives The Full Monty a run for its singles as the funniest cinematic offering that features a group of men removing their clothes. The humor here largely spoofs the conventions of Chippendales-style erotic dancing without delving into parody, where the outrageous dance routines, costumes, and flamboyant behavior provides for self-satirization as much as it does for making the ladies swoon. The scenes involving the dancers preparing backstage or buying their wardrobes made me laugh pretty damn hard, and a lot of the kudos needs to go to leading man and new Soderbergh favorite Channing Tatum.
I've never been a huge fan of Tatum's work in the past, but here he's revelatory. It helps that Magic Mike is loosely based on Tatum's actual past as a male stripper, not to mention that Tatum certainly has the physical qualifications for such a role, as well as being one hell of a dancer to boot. But as Mike Lane, Tatum's dramatic chops here are pretty impressive, adding some three-dimensionality to the "stripper with a heart of gold" trope.
As his young charge, Pettyfer does a good job with the rags-to-riches story arc, though some similarities can be drawn to Mark Wahlberg's character in Boogie Nights (though it never gets as dark and dramatically heavy here). As the club owner and sometimes performer, McConaughey finally has a legitimate reason to show off his signature washboard abs, and the rest of the boys do well with their rather brave performances (though the casting of pro wrestler Kevin Nash left me scratching my head, but Soderbergh has always been one for eclectic casting choices).
The weakest part of Magic Mike, however, was the romantic subplot between Tatum and Horn. It felt way too conventional and even tacked-on, and despite Horn not being terrible in the role, I wish Soderbergh would have been more creative in that respect.
But in the end, this one's for the girls, as Magic Mike gives its target audience exactly what it wants and then some. Definitely not as smutty as the trailers may have led some to believe, Magic Mike nonetheless makes good with the He-Man hunk factor, while still maintaining terrific direction, great performances, inventive choreography, and a smart screenplay that transcends tawdriness.
Letter Grade: "B+"
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