Blu-ray Review Magic Mike
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Cast: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins Rating: R Due Out: Magic Mike available on Blu-ray Combo pack, DVD and for download 10/23!
PLOT: A Florida misfit (Pettyfer) is brought into the world of male stripping by Magic Mike (Tatum) and his near nude entourage (Manganiello, Bomer, Nash) as led by a man named Dallas (McConaughey).
WHO’S IT FOR?: It’s not just two hours of stripping. Whether that is disappointing or relieving to you, Magic Mike is still worth a look.
MOVIE:
While there is a plot to Magic Mike, it’s certainly nowhere near as meaty as the abs exposed throughout this movie. Playing like Tatum’s own version of Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience (in which porn star Sasha Grey played a call-girl who is affected by recent financial climate) Magic Mike has a narrow narrative with an experimental heart. The story only provides atmosphere, and offers some tempting probing for meta qualities (what is this saying about Tatum then, and now?). Yet even with commendable performances from Tatum, Horn, and jazzy direction from Soderbergh, Magic Mike might be a little too thin to really stand as more than a fun, indulgent spectacle.
So, sorry a lot of people, Magic Mike is a little more than just a cinematic strip show. But if you do want to see some shirtless hunks (of all shapes and facial hair sizes), you’ll certainly get that. Because while this is made by a true auteur with plenty of experience in serious craft, Soderbergh is not one to bullsh*t his audience. He is well aware of the basics of what people want with this film, and he even seems to have some fun taking in this world from an outsider’s perspective. It’s the fans of his arthouse work, teased by familiar aesthetics, who might experience the underwhelming type of titillation.
MOVIE SCORE: 6/10
EXTRAS
Extended Dance Scenes — Watch full-length dance scenes too hot for theaters!
Dance Play Mode — Play all dance sequences back to back!
Backstage of Magic Mike — From manscaping to hip shaking, Channing Tatum exposes the finer details of being a male stripper and the transformation that his costars McConaughey, Bomer and Manganiello went through to perfect the art of taking off their clothes.