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 Release Date: June 29, 2012
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.
EXPECTATIONS: Soderbergh. Channing Tatum. Male stripping. Like anyone else excited about this unique piece of summer pie, all I needed was one of the three to have me on board. And for the record, this was #4 on my "Top 7 Most Anticipated Summer 2012 Movies" list, and proudly so.
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS:
Channing Tatum as Magic Mike: In a role that seems to display all of his talents (he's even introduced to us naked), Tatum puts this showcase (and slightly biographical movie) to effective use. Here, he plays a real pro at the stripping business, who thinks he has it all figured out. At the same time, he is an entrepreneur with many businesses to his name. Most of all, more than stripping, Mike wants to design unique furniture (Something sure to get an "Awww" from the frothing crowds). While he certainly shows his dancing chops on the stage, (especially an incredible spinning sequence), Tatum is no weakling in the script's already thin plot. Wearing glasses and a suit, he makes a very striking moment out of a scene in which his character is trying to get a loan to start a new life. A successful vehicle for Tatum, he is able to turn this showcase into a statement. Score: 7
Alex Pettyfer as Adam: Wearing the shoes that Tatum once worked it in himself (the inspiration for this movie), Pettyfer is a fitting whippersnapper to the stripping gambit who only understands what he sees in front of him - power, money, and eventually stripping. With a rocky start that included I Am Number Four and the hilariously bad Beastly, Pettyfer uses his hunky powers for good with this character who helps us ease into the movie's presentation of stripping. Score: 6
Cody Horn as Brooke: Yes, the men don't disappoint in regards to their on-stage performances (except for the idea of having to look at Kevin Nash maybe?) The best acting performance of Magic Mike comes from Cody Horn, who provides a great amount of perspective to the film with her sisterly character. In a movie in outsider awe of what this world is like, she has a great moment in which we watch her different reactions to her first stripper show. She wants to look away, she can't, she know she should, etc. In something that has to be seen to be believed, she blushes without actually blushing. Horn does great work with this subtlety throughout the film, making her every on-screen moment compelling. Score: 8
Matthew McConaughey as Dallas: The veteran performer of the group, McConaughey starts this movie on the right foot as we see him introduce the "rules." "Can you touch this? Can you touch this?" A seasoned dreamboat hunky in a pool of new meat, McConaughey makes Dallas into someone who knows all corners of the industry. He's fine with where he is, and he doesn't mind Score: 7
TALKING: When someone's not stripping in the club, Magic Mike gets heavy with dialogue, usually for the sake of grounding this as a human drama. Though the exchanges are nothing to slow down the movie's mojo, there are a couple interactions that give Magic Mike some meaty subtext. For example, when Dallas gives Adam his first stripping lesson, he instructs the newcomer by saying closely into his ear, "You are the husband they never had ... You are the liberation." Later on in the film, Tatum confronts his entire image as an actor when he says to Brooke, "Am I Magic Mike? I'm not my goddamn job." These are moments are bound to stay with Magic Mike viewers along with the stripping as well. Score: 7
SIGHTS: The stripping/dance sequences in Magic Mike are absolutely electric. Accompanied by the right music and captured with a non-flashy camera that lets the moves speak for themselves, the centerpieces of Magic Mike certainly deliver in an impressive way. Once the story takes off, the script makes way for the viewing of many different stripping acts, usually condensing them into long montages steered by a single song. Though the stage costuming might be "cheesy," the actual body talent of Magic Mike becomes well-known, and is well delivered. Score: 9
SOUNDS: Boasting no score, the Magic Mike soundtrack is a mix of dancing music and classic rock (like Foreigner's "Feels Like the First Time"). Dubstep even peeks into the soundtrack for one awesome sequence. And no stranger to a guitar, Matthew McConaughey sings a song, "Ladies of Tampa" which also plays during the end credits. Score: 7
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: I admit I had to fan myself and pick up my jaw after the first dance sequence. Wow — and I thought the vintage Warner Brothers logo was exciting!
ENDING: Magic Mike ends right where it needs to. Though it strips viewers of a possible sex sequence, it closes everything up enough to know where everyone is headed next.
QUESTIONS: I sat down with Tatum mano y mano to discuss Soderbergh's intent with this movie, and what he wants people to get out of it. I also talked to Joe Manganiello about penis pumps, and accused him of giving his drooling fans what they want.
REWATCHABILITY: I didn't find much to laugh at with Magic Mike, but I would certainly experience it all again.
OVERALL
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.
FINAL SCORE: 6/10