Magic Mike

This takes place in Florida. A 30 year old male stripper Magic Mike (Channing Tatum) meets young Adam (Alex Pettyfer) who has no direction in life. Mike takes him under his wing and gets him to be a stripper. He also romances Adams' sister Brooke (Cody Horn). But Adam gets hooked on drugs and things get dangerous.

First let's get the nude issue out of the way. There is only one full frontal in the movie--it's off to the side, is partially blocked and is probably faked. It's also very funny. There's mostly butt shots only but all are from Tatum, Pettyfer and Adam Rodriguez. This movie is NOT about the nudity. The movie moves slow (although I was never bored) and main events happen off screen OR are never explained! Still the movie works. For one thing all the acting is good. I was surprised at how good Tatum was. I never thought he could act till this. He captures his character perfectly. Pettyfer was equally good as Adam. Even Matthew McConaughey was good as the group's owner named Dallas. The strip acts themselves are incredible. All the guys are in good shape and Tatum shows some moves that are jaw-dropping! However they're not shot in an exploitive fashion. They're done in a matter of fact way that actually makes them seem quite funny. This movie (script wise) shows us nothing new but it was well-made and entertaining. This is not just for women and gay men--I think everyone would enjoy it. I give it a 7.

Magic Mike is a very unusual film. Because it looks as if it should be a total romp for the ladies. Silly and comedic and fun. But actually it is done in Stephen Soderbergh's usual style - understated, and dramatic. It does feature topless men and musical numbers for the ladies. But actually it is a drama film about a young man struggling to find his place in the world and torn between what he should do with himself. On its own merit it is a good and enjoyable film with some important themes that are usually examined through female characters. Eg the female stripper who has grown tired of the comfortable and highly lucrative career and of being objectified and wants to be more wholesome. So it is interesting to see these themes explored through male characters. Very unique in this regard actually.

This might come as a shock to some, but this is not really a movie about male strippers. Yes, two of the principal characters are male strippers, but—as Channing Tatum's character (Magic Mike himself) says at a crucial point in the film, "That's what I do—it's not who I am." Amid the bountiful buttcheeks and brawny pecs on display, there is a real story here about ambition, and goals, and loyalty, and commitment, and self-actualization. Yes, I used the term "self-actualization" in a review of "Magic Mike"; I told you you might be shocked.

At any rate, plenty of folks (like the pathetic woman who was sitting behind me in the theater, the one who clapped like a poorly trained seal, guffawed, and cackled any time the least bit of male skin appeared on screen) will go see this movie because of all the hype about the hot male bodies in various states of undress—and they will certainly enjoy the film on that very basic level. But let's be honest here, folks—this is a Stephen Soderbergh film—and Soderbergh does not use sex and titillation gratuitously. The plot is compelling, the film is well written and masterfully directed, and Channing Tatum proves that he is much, much more than a hot body and a pretty face. For his sake, here's hoping that "Magic Mike" can propel him along a career path similar to those of other handsome actors who managed to overcome "Movie Star" looks to prove that they were genuine actors. Like Brad Pitt.

Magic Mike is a good movie with a well developed storyline and an impressive cast. It's an enjoyable movie that brings in many laughs, as well as terrific performances from the entire cast, the chemistry between everyone is great, particularly the parts between Channing Tatum and Cody Horn, they both seemed to really enjoy being in each other's company and their scenes were very natural. It's a really slow movie and can admittedly get very boring at times, there are a lot of very lengthy scenes were the characters are literally just talking, while they are well acted and serve as a great method for character development, they can still get very tedious, they could have easily trimmed a lot of scenes and made it a more bearable ninety minute run. The highlight of the movie is definitely Matthew McConaughey, playing a character unlike one he has ever played before, he is very natural and charismatic in the role of Dallas, his scenes certainly had me entertained the most. It may be very slow, but Magic Milke is still an enjoyable movie that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good, easy to watch, comedy if you ever see it on television and had some time to kill.

A male stripper teaches a newcomer how to handle the lifestyle, while a relationship develops between him and the newcomers sister.

Best Performance: Matthew McConaughey

Ok I have watched this a few times. Every time I do I get legitimately angry over that terrible actress that is cast as Brooke. Yikes. She can't act at all and her facial expressions are cringe worthy.

She ruins the entire movie. So bad.