Magic Mike

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn

Steven Soderbergh directs Magic Mike, a drama film starring Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer. Pettyfer stars as Adam, a ‘down on his luck’ tradie who somehow finds himself a part of a male stripper group thanks to his newly found friendship with stripper veteran Mike (Tatum). While this film is certainly not targeting a young adult male audience (such as myself), I found the film rather entertaining and engaging at some points, although there is a certain lack of depth in terms of the story Magic Mike is trying to tell.

As you would expect from a film that follows the events of male strippers, there are quite a few scenes in Magic Mike that feature ripped shirts, rock hard abs and dry humping by men. While this has never been my cup of tea in terms of entertainment, I embraced the awkwardness of watching these scenes with my girlfriend and the movie actually made me laugh out loud because of this. What was also entertaining about Magic Mike is the amount of talent Channing Tatum has as both a dancer and an actor these days. While it certainly won’t win him any awards, Tatum manages to pull off an extremely likeable performance that doesn’t falter throughout the entire movie and his incredible dancing skills will make you question whether he should quit acting and join the stripping industry.

Unfortunately Magic Mike’s large focus on the stripping scenes forces the underlying narrative to leave you a little unimpressed. While there’s some interesting character development shown by Pettyfer’s character Adam, who has trouble keeping control of his actions after his newly found fame, the film doesn’t leave much running time for it to truly develop. Mike’s relationship with Adam’s sister Brooke (Cody Horn) and his dream to be more than just a stripper also has a large amount of attention put on it, however the film ends before anything really develops and it all feels rather pointless in the end.

Set against the background of Los Angeles, Magic Mike embraces the iconic yellow glow of the famous city with a filter effect that looks like the characters are experiencing a never-ending sunset. It’s a little distracting at first but the constant use of it eventually forces you to get used to it, and it actually works rather well. The music during some of the scenes can be a touch too loud, preventing some of the dialogue to be inaudible; however nothing the characters really say during these scenes drives the story’s plot. The home release of Magic Mike contains extended dance scenes and a Dance Play Mode which helps you learn the basics of the strippers’ routines. If you’re lucky to find one, some retailers also include a set of stripper hand cuffs and a bow tie to “make your man look like magic.” You laugh at it now, but you better hope your girlfriend doesn’t buy it and force you to dance for her; after watching Tatum’s dancing her expectations may be a little too high for your taste.

Despite having a throwaway story Magic Mike succeeds in being entertaining thanks to some impressive choreography and Channing Tatum’s likeable portrayal of Mike. It’s harmless and enjoyable fun that can easily be enjoyed by both genders who want nothing than a good laugh and some eye-candy to go with it.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD 26th of November 2012