Magic Mike XXL



I'm the body double in 4 scenes in this gif.
Can you spot me?

I've decided to embrace the nature and underlying purpose of Magic Mike XXL by making this post pretty much solely about the ladies. There's a review in there somewhere, but here you'll find the first ever GIF-ONLY review on Rath's Reviews. And I picked some doozys. You're welcome.

A few years back the original Magic Mike surprised many audiences in various ways. Some critics that went in with a harsh mindset (myself included) were surprised by how it was actually a solid movie, most likely because it was coming from Steven Soderbergh who is a fairly underrated director in my eyes. Other types of audiences, i.e. those who just wanted to see Channing Tatum strip, were a bit disappointed because the film had a fair amount of drama and even got relatively dark in a few places. I understand their complaints, and I'd even call them valid, but they should be comforted to know that, much like Channing Tatum has been touting on the media tour, Magic Mike XXL is the movie that "everyone was expecting the first one to be".

How I introduce myself to co-workers ^^

What a waste of water!!

Aside from having the most ridiculous name this side of Piranha 3DD, XXl picks up in present day, so several years after the original. It's nice to see that Mike's furniture business is doing somewhat well, but in those few years quite a bit has changed. His girl is gone and he's in a bit of a funk and in the meantime, Dallas (McConaughey) and the Kid from the first film have bolted for a show in Europe, leaving the rest of the group scrambling to make end's meet. Long story short, there is a stripper convention and they decide to have a Fast and Furious-esque "One Last Ride" so they all hop in a food truck and make their way there. If it sounds light on plot, that's because it is. There's hardly any true conflict in the film, especially when you compare it to the first one, and I'd say it's both the film's strength and weakness. The light and floaty nature is welcomed and it's clear that this is meant to be a purely entertaining 4th of July release. But there are some conflicts that get set up between characters that really don't add anything to the film and just help to extend its overlong runtime. There is beef between Channing Tatums' Mike and Matt Bomer's Ken that comes and goes with no real purpose, and another couple of odd conflicts between Mike and Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith, filling in very well for McConaughey) and Mike and Zoe (Amber Heard as his kinda-sorta love interest). It's not as if I'm against having any drama, but the term "shoehorned" comes into mind when thinking about much of the conflict in the film. 

I would give a small fortune to be able to dance like that^

I'd argue that the above issue is pretty severe, when you have a film that doesn't exactly have any real conflict, but it's also hard to fault XXL when it's as much fun as it is. Sure it's a film about male strippers, but I will be absolutely damned if you are a guy and you don't enjoy this film, even a little bit. I'd even go so far to chalk that up to insecurity, but that's a rabbit hole I won't even go down. Magic Mike XXL is a much different film than the first, even if it does share the same premise and cast. It's funnier, with jokes flying this way and that, with a decent portion of them landing. One scene in a gas station had my theater in stitches, and I'd even go so far as to say it's one of my favorite scenes of the year. The conversations between characters, when they aren't centered around the useless conflict mentioned above, are often witty, sly, and fun to listen to. The stripping is still rather impressive, but this film has a lot more dancing this time around and I don't care who you are but watching Tatum dance is immensely impressive. He's incredible. On top of that there are a couple surprise cameos, including one that I couldn't really believe until I went and checked the IMDb to verify it.

Soderbergh's direction is missed (he produced) to a certain degree, but it still retains elements of his trademark style. The color tone is realistic and much of the framing of the film is representative of something he would do. There is also one hell of a soundtrack to accompany the film that I will have to seek out immediately. 

Whether or not you're still reading this, or too mesmerized by the strategic GIF placement, is of no consequence as long as you remember the following:

Magic Mike XXL is the film that everyone thought they were getting the first time around (though I don't want to throw that one under the bus because I also found it very enjoyable). It's highly entertaining, funny, and even a bit witty and truly only drags when it stops trying to be all of those things.

Once it's all said and done it's a pretty complete...ahem..."package".

CONS:

• The film's biggest fault is the useless conflict throughout. Mike in particular has three conflicts with different characters, none of which really adds anything to the film and these scripted moments are often the worst parts of the movie
• Some jokes fall flat
• Overlong
• Not everyone on board is an A-list actor here

PROS:

• Much lighter than the first film which results in a lot more pure enjoyment
• Some truly great scenes throughout. The gas station scene was a riot from beginning to end
• Tatum is a solid leading man these days and his dancing is nothing short of incredible
• The stripping set pieces are entertaining, all things considered
• Some strong additions to the cast with Jada Pinkett Smith and Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino). A couple good cameos too
• Funny and witty script most of the time
• BOMB soundtrack
• My theater audience complete with screaming women and an "Oh LORD have mercy!" gay man right behind me. Hilarious
• Technically strong film that echoes Soderbergh's style (good thing)
• Highly enjoyable in the moments that count

Rath's Review Score: 8/10