Channing Tatum resumes his stripping duties in Magic Mike XXL.Magic Mike XXL (2015)
Certified: 15
Duration: 115 minutes
Directed by: Gregory Jacobs
Starring: Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodríguez, Gabriel Iglesias, Andie MacDowell, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Michael Strahan, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss
KRS Releasing Ltd
2012’s Magic Mike, made on a paltry $7 million, made more than $140 million at the box office and cemented Channing Tatum’s star power. Steven Soderbergh, who had directed the first movie, here takes on cinematography duties, while Gregory Jacobs, who had produced the first film and other Soderbergh movies such as Side Effects, Contagion, Haywire and Che, takes on directing duties.
It’s a sequel I had not been expecting and strangely enough, through thick and thin, the film pulls it off quite nicely.
Three years have passed since Mike (Tatum) made his last stripping performance at the Xquisite Club in Florida. He has a successful business going on but his stripping itch resurfaces when his previous group of friends – Tarzan (Kevin Nash), Tito (Adam Rodríguez), ‘Big Dick’ Ritchie, Ken (Matt Bomer) and the emcee Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias) – tell him they are off to Myrtle Beach for a male stripper convention and he ends up joining them.
The group stops at an establishment run by Mike’s ex-girlfriend, Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith), whose boys include Malik (Stephen Boss) and Andre (Donald Glover). Tobias is injured and Rome becomes the new emcee.
Even though the film is not directed by Soderbergh, it still feels like a Soderbergh movie
While on their trip, they end up at the home of the rich Southern dame Nancy Davidson (Andie MacDowell), who, along with her friends, is calling out for stripper company. Here Mike meets photographer Zoe (Amber Heard) and connects with her.
At the convention, which is run by Paris (Elizabeth Banks), Mike and his team need to up their game if they are to be the top entertainers to the female crowd.
Even though the film is not directed by Soderbergh, it still feels like a Soderbergh movie. What is missing from the first movie is Matthew McConaughey’s character: his accent and physical presence is missed.
This sequel is not all high and mighty in its approach to the stripping business in the way the first movie was. In fact, whereas the original film had a moral cautionary take attached to it, it is not felt so much in this follow-up. The emphasis now is more on the fun aspect, on the road trip with male strippers. The bromance factor, that has now become part of Hollywood film-making culture, is present throughout the movie.
Loosely inspired by Tatum’s early years as a stripper, Magic Mike XXL shows that the actor has the physique and screen presence but, most of all, that he can also act. His presence holds the movie together. However, all characters are given their moment to shine.
While dealing with an adult theme, the film is so self-indulgent and self-aware that it is very difficult not to smile or giggle through its running. It’s a film that is both fun and serious at the same time, making Magic Mike’s unexpected return much more successful than could be expected.