Magic Mike rides again
Listen to this article2.5 out of 4 stars
With more six packs than a convenience store, Magic Mike XXL is the most fun you’ll have without going to a strip club — and you won’t have to deal with a nasty hangover or sweat stains on your clothes.
Magic Mike XXL, the sequel to the 2012 striptease sleeper Magic Mike, was about as easy to see coming as a stripper undressing by the second song.
It doesn’t take an executive in a three-piece suit to realize a movie about hot guys shedding their clothes is a good idea. After all, Magic Mike grossed more than $167 million worldwide three years ago — not bad for a flick with a $7 million budget.
So of course the folks at Warner Bros. did what you thought they would do: They got Channing Tatum and his friends to shake what their mommas gave them, creating a big buffet of gyrating pecs, abs and ass.
Magic Mike XXL takes place three years after Mike (Tatum) retired from stripping before he rejoins The Kings of Tampa – Ken (Matt Bomer), Richie (Joe Manganiello), Tarzan (former WWE star Kevin Nash) and Tito (Adam Rodriguez) on a road trip to Myrtle Beach for a stripping convention. However, Matthew McConaughey didn’t make the cut this time, replaced by dancers Malik (Stephen “tWitch” Boss) and Andre (Donald Glover).
The story is as simple as a striptease. Mike decides to give stripping another try and joins the gang on an RV trip filled with witty chatter and experimental drug use. The destination is Tampa, but there are plenty of stops along the way, including at a gay club, where the movie undergoes a transformation — and we’re not taking Caitlyn-Bruce Jenner here.
The boys decide to move into the 21st century by dropping their cheesy routines set to 1980s tunes and the Village People and go with more modern ones that have them basically humping without being totally naked.
Director Gregory Jacobs took over for the Magic Mike director Soderbergh and delivers a film that focuses as much on the story as stripping, providing a 115-minute journey for America’s favorite strippers to see if they can have one more moment in the spotlight surrounded by fluttering dollar bills.
Those in the film didn’t have a problem throwing their money at Tatum and his boys. But as a moviegoer, reach into your wallet at your own risk.
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