Review of Magic Mike XXL (2015) by Foxgrove — 02 Jul 2015

Less serious minded than Steven Soderbergh’s box office hit ‘Magic Mike’ this fluffier sequel is also a lot more fun. The loosely structured screenplay at first seems to only offer up a lot of inane macho chatter and the movie never gels into a cohesively good story whilst also fatally lacking an ending of which to speak.

However, approached in the right spirit there is much warmth and humour peppered throughout to keep the enjoyment buoyant. Most of the cast are engaging with Joe Manganiello in particular proving more impressive here than he was in the first film.

His striptease in the food store is one of the best scenes on offer. Andie MaCdowell is also given a few nuggets with which to shine leading one question where she has been these past years. The film also benefits immeasurably from some surprisingly good rap music on the soundtrack.

This in turn elicits a fairly positive response to a movie that, whilst one wouldn’t rush to see it again, is a guilty pleasure whilst it lasts.