Review of Magic Mike (2012) by Spencer S — 05 Feb 2013

One of the more highly anticipated and female friendly films that came out last summer, "Magic Mike" is overall a fluffy story about a male stripper going through the hardships of his profession while trying to escape it.

The story is supposedly based on the former life of Channing Tatum, who worked as a stripper before making it big. The film of course has the gratuitous male nudity, sexual humor, and mantastic specimens to ooze over, but it also tries to be more than it is by showing some of the realities of working as a male stripper.

Only Soderbergh could possibly make this look and feel like a serious film, as he's worked in both contemporary indies and big budget studio projects. Though these are the same themes as we've seen for many female protagonists in past films, and we know the inevitable end to the story, it's still thrilling.

Besides trying to branch out from stripping, finally following his dream of making custom furniture, and finding someone who doesn't mind his profession or lurid past, we also get a glimpse into the seedy underbelly of this world.

Alex Pettyfer puts in a great performance as Adam, a going nowhere young man who has a lack of ambition but a taste for a life of drugs, women, and a propensity to move up in this world. He is taken into the life thanks to Mike, who tries to watch out for him.

Lending to the glamour of this life are the amazing performances from the men involved in this. Seriously, there were some bulked up, dance crazy, manly men on that stage, and though many of them never spoke in the film, their presence was appreciated.

Matthew McConaughey puts in the most serious and impressive performance of his career thus far as the strip club owner and emcee, trapping Mike into his pitiful role as underling while promising a chance to start over.

The love story between Mike and his protégé's sister was obvious, and the ending was flippant, but we get to see Mike's resurrection towards morality, I suppose. You wonder where Adam falls into the mix at the end as well, but he is unlikable to the extent where he could die and I wouldn't care.

Gratuitous and lively, it is a good, easy watch, without the moral entanglements for the viewer.