Magic Mike

I never knew Channing Tatum can dance. I never heard of him not until GI Joe. It was Shamaine who told me about him being in the Step Up series, either way, I'm not interested. This year, he will be starring in another GI Joe flick and a film about stripping. Based from his experiences as a stripper before he landed in Hollywood, Magic Mike tackles their life and struggles as a dancer while they try to live life as normal as possible... And so I thought.

Magic Mike tells the story about Adam and Mike as they become superstars of a club designed to titillate women with their sexy moves. The club is managed and headed by Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) who also play as a stripper. They have everything, money, women and a lot of fun only to be made complicated by drugs.

This flick is directed by Steven Soderbergh, known for his works on Oceans Eleven, Traffic and Contagion. He had his hits and few misses like Solaris but over-all he is a well capable director. I believe he misses the hit with Magic Mike. While the movie boasts enticing dance routines, it does not do well with the storytelling. The characters lacked the motivation as to why they are part of the business. The conflicts are too shallow and absurd at time. Channing is one dimensional in this film and did not deliver what the viewers are asking: WHY. Alex Pettyfer has a poorly driven character that is forgettable. The characters may have grown in the film very slow and also very little. Matthew McConaughey has the weirdest performance of his entire career. 

Magic Mike is a film that can be or can't be missed. If you are a Tatum or Pettyfer fan, then it is a worth of your time but if you are looking for something out of the box, the movie will fail you. It stays safe and sometimes dull but then who knows, you might even forget the story when they started dancing. Bring a teddy bear, your female companions should have something to pinch while watching this, if not, prepare to have bruises in your arm.

GRADE: C


trailer