Review by John Delia
Brawny, Bold and bawdy the movie Magic Mike XXL (I guess they didn’t use a third X instead of an L because it doesn’t go that far) struts and dances its way across the screen at the delight of a female audience. The story gets sluggish, silly and wacky, but I’m positive not a woman in the theater will notice. Not much on plot, the road trip to Myrtle Beach does have its moments at stops along the way. There the film bangs out tunes while muscle bound men raise hell tearing their T-shirts and dropping their drawers in places like Tampa, Jacksonville, Savanna and Charleston.
Men beware, the theater jammed with women won’t be pretty if it’s like the screening I saw to review this film. If you decide to go however, sit way in the back because the ladies are out of control and their sexually charged brain is screaming. (Unfortunately only for the male strippers on the screen).
The mindless plot involves Magic Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) who hasn’t been stripping for the last couple years and has lost his girlfriend to boot. His job hauling furniture and business equipment has been on the rise, but his love life has taken a nose dive in the toilet. Just as Mike hits bottom about his love life, it gets worse when Tarzan (Kevin Nash) calls inviting him to his former boss Dallas’s funeral. When he shows up and finds out it’s a practical joke to get him to a stripper convention, Mike refuses at first, then joins the road trip.
The film is a cash cow in every sense of the word. Surly it will bring in a ton of cash just like the strippers get in the movie. Instead of throwing dollar bills at the actual males dancing and grinding on the screen, the box office is collecting them for the stars and filmmakers. It’s no different, money for sexual stimulation and buckets full being swept up by producers. My prediction domestically will be at least $54 million out of posh
purses from opening day on July 1 to Sunday July 5th. The long 4th of July holiday should be very accommodating to the ladies.
There’s not much to say for the acting, because there’s not much of that. Channing Tatum struts his stone carved abs laden chest and bare bottom along with five other male hunks including Stephen Boss, Matt Boomer, Kevin Nash, Joe Mangainiello and Adam Rodriguez. They dance, spin, twist and gyrate to a very good list of tunes while getting women to join in on stage. To women, it’s very seductive and intensely sensual and the guys draw raves from the theater audience signaling overwhelming gratitude for the indelible fantasy. Leaving the movie they’ll probably relive it in their minds for a long while as they pass many more like them entering the auditorium for their turn to be “entertainedâ€.
Magic Mike XXL has been rated R by the MPAA for strong sexual content, pervasive language, some nudity and drug use. Not for anyone under 17, the film titillates, teases and leaves very little to the imagination. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are very inappropriate for adolescents.
FINAL ANALYSIS: For most men and myself there’s not much there except a few ideas on how to charge up a relationship, but I still give it a (C-). For the Ladies however, it’s just what you need if your relationship has lost its charge. (B)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jada Pinkett Smith, Elizabeth Banks, Andie MacDowell, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Gabriel Iglesias, Amber Heard, Donald Glover, Michael Strahan, Stephen “Twitch” Boss
Directed by: Gregory Jacobs
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Dance
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, pervasive language, some nudity and drug use
Running Time: 1 hr. 55 min.
Release Date: July1, 2015
Distributed by: Warner Bros.