MAGIC MIKE (15) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez. Director: Steven Soderbergh The gloves are off – the shirts, trousers and thongs too – in Steven Soderbergh’s tale of ambition and greed set in a Tampa Bay male nude revue bar.
Loosely inspired by lead actor Channing Tatum’s brief stint as a stripper, Magic Mike delivers copious quantities of oiled and naked flesh.
Sadly, apart from the good looking cast and another solid performance from Tatum, who threatens to melt celluloid with his crotch-thrusting dance solos, Soderbergh’s film lacks emotional depth and substance.
Male actors seem to be having a blast and we enjoy a fair few giggles at their expense, especially Matthew McConaughey who parades around the screen in skimpy underwear and demonstrates the questionable art of bump and grind in front of a mirror.
Reid Carolin’s script occasionally errs towards the crass as it charts the descent of an inexperienced stripper into drug-fuelled oblivion.
Adam (Alex Pettyfer) lands a temporary construction job alongside nice guy Mike (Channing Tatum) but on his very first day, Adam is sacked.
As he roams the town, Adam crosses paths again with Mike who introduces him to the local male nude revue bar, where delirious women thrust dollar bills into the sweaty orifices of gym-toned Adonises.
It transpires that Mike is the club’s star turn.
A mishap affords Adam a chance to perform on stage and under his new moniker of The Kid, he becomes a firm favourite of the female clientele.
“I have money, I can sleep with who I want, I have freedom because of you,” Adam tells Mike. “I’m having a ball!”
But adulation comes at a price.
Tatum anchors the film with his sensitive, believable portrayal of a dreamer, who is ploughing all of his tips from the club into a fledgling custom furniture design business.
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