Movie Review: Magic Mike

So you really probably shouldn't read this if you're not 18 or over...

Time to Objectify some Men with Magic Mike! 

Released: June 29, 2012.

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Reid Carolin

Starring:

Matthew McConaughey as Dallas (the strip club owner)

Channing Tatum as Magic Mike 

Alex Pettyfer as Adam ("The Kid")

Olivia Munn as Joanna

Cody Horn as Brooke

Joe Manganiello (aka Alcide from True Blood) as Big Dick Richie

Matt Bomer (He's also Cooper on Glee, Blaine's brother) as Ken

Adam Rodriguez (he was Eric in CSI: Miami!!) as Tito

Full Cast Here

Rated R 

Synopsis: Mike is a a very hard working man, he's a stripper, roofer, furniture builder, entrepreneur and all around likes to have a good time. Then we meet Adam, 19 year's old and freshly kicked out of school, he's angry and down on his luck as he crashes on his sister's couch while he drifts from one job to another. Meeting at a construction job, Mike takes pity on Adam and shows him the ropes to being a successful stripper, making lots of easy money and women.  

Review:


     Firstly, girl's be kind and leave your poor men out of this. Not only is it much more fun as a part of a girls night, there's no need to subject them to the gratuitous muscled nudity that you'll drool over, and constant girlish squealing (I feel bad for the solitary male soul that was in our theatre). 

     The director definitely knew how to draw the crowd in with the first 30 seconds of the movie. We get a flash of McConaughey as Dallas the club owner, as he does a great ring master-esque tease and just as it builds up the suspense BAM white screen with plain black letters annoucing some month. It was a total shock to the system and felt completely out of place. This happens a few more times as we progress through the movie, and it serves as a time lapse interlude for the plot, but I just felt like it made the flow of the movie really jerky with these odd start and stops.

     I'm just going to let you know right here and now, that the whole plot of this gets way deeper than I thought it would, but it was also a bit disappointing. It starts of very light and happy, dancing, stripping, cheering, attempts at real relationships, sex, drugs, money but then halfway through the movie it takes a really dark turn, and things start spiraling down this ominous vortex.
    
     I feel that we really didn't get to resolve a lot of the issues that they brought up. Like Alex Pettyfer's character ends up going through a lot of harsh times, and he didn't really learn a lesson and we really don't know where he's going in the end - is he going to be a stripper until he's old? Most likely.

     Channing Tatum's character gets a lot of his hopes dashed, but apparently he's totally okay with it at the end (when most people would flip the hell out). Instead of developing all these plot lines, they just distracted us with a lot of lights, music and tear off pants - which we all know was the real reason to go see this movie anyways.

     The script and direction could've been a bit better, there's a lot of awkward pauses, overdrawn silences in conversation and "Um, Uh, Ahhs." that act as time fillers instead of adding to the moment. But there were a few genuine scenes of fluid and hilarious dialogue - most of this of course takes place in the strip bar, but also in the banter between Magic Mike and Adam's sister Brooke.

     Now on to what you've all been waiting for.... *Drum Roll*.... The Strippers!!

     I applaud every single one of these guys, they freaking rocked! Awesome bodies... amazing coreography, props and they just really pulled us into this fast paced world of male strippers that entertained and thrilled!

     Alex Pettyfer as Adam really took his role above and beyond by playing so many different aspects. He starts out really shy and unsure of everything in his life. Then on stage he ends up taking charge, risks and really embracing his inner stripper. He's got this boyish quality to him, and the rugged look that definitely makes the girls swoon. But when the money starts rolling in, he really lets it get to his head (more like he's letting his downstairs brain do the thinking) and his life starts collapsing in on him again.  

     Channing Tatum definitely puts his "Step Up" dance training to use as he does a lot of hip hop styled dancing in his routines. He's been in the game awhile now, and knows how to work up a crowd. I really was rooting for his character to find a happy ending because he is an all around great guy. Considering this was partly based on Channings real life previous stripper experience, he played his part well as a mentor and added stability to the story.

      Joe Manganiello (aka Alcide from True Blood) as Big Dick Richie was my absolute favorite stripper of them all! He was genuinely funny backstage and even during his routine. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing him nude...While there are certain restrictions on what nude body parts we get to see in movies *hint hint* - they really pushed what they could show to the limit and it was all with Joe. He *ahem* really lived up to his character's name.

     The other guys were awesome in their back up dancer roles, and they each had their own signature routine. Although Tarzan was my least favorite stripper, long hair and a dopey old wrestler attitude just doesn't do it for me.

     I don't usually like watching Matthew McConaughey in movies, he always plays the same part in each movie (single, good looking guy in a romantic comedy), but his role as Dallas the strip club owner was perfect for him!! It's like he was born to rile a female crowd up in anticipation for nude men!

     The girls in this movie were a surprising bunch (the ones that weren't squealing at the strippers that is), they were educated, strong, independant and didn't take crap from these guys. So it was definitely a refreshing take from instant love.

     To sum it up, plot wise this movie is pretty much crap. But I went in there in anticipation of this and just took this movie at face value. It lives up to it's gimmick, which is to entertain a crowd of screaming females clutching dollar bills to shove into male thongs and that's how I chose to enjoy this movie and enjoy it I did!

Overall: 4/5 Hot Cups of Tea!

It's a feel good movie to enjoy with a gaggle of girlfriends with some snacks where we can all freely lust over these men without feeling guilty. I gaurantee you'll giggle, blush and leave with a smile plastered on your face!