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Movie Review: Magic Mike
Daniel "Pinto" Gunderson reviews the movie Magic Mike.
This weekend’s movie Magic Mike, about a male stripper, was going to be pushed for biggest opener by Ted, a movie a about a stuffed animal that comes to life. What to chose!?! I ended up going to both, but I only choose to review Magic Mike.
The movie is about a male stripper named Michael Lane (Channing Tatum) who dreams to be more than just a stripper. For the time being, however, he loves the lifestyle and what comes with it.
He ends up meeting a 19-year-old named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) and recruits him to help out at the club Xquisite. While there, Adam gets an opportunity to dance and is a huge hit. He is hired as a regular by club owner Dallas (Matthew McConaughey).
Adam’s sister Brooke (Cody Horn), who he is living with, is worried about this lifestyle making a bad impression on him and asks Mike to watch out for her brother. Mike gladly accepts and as time goes on, develops a crush on Brooke.
Fun Fact: Channing Tatum and director Steven SoderBergh co-financed the film.
What I Liked:
Matthew McConaughey has never been one of my favorite actors. There are a handful of films I like him in, with Dazed and Confused and Lincoln Lawyer among them. I am going to have to add this one to the list.
A male strip club owner, manager and stripper all in one, you have to believe if a guy like that exists, he is a little off. Like that friend in high school who would dare you to do something and then go ahead and do it himself. McConaughey personifies the club owner Dallas just as you would image it.
He is crazy, weird and just smart enough to know how to run a business. You see the eyes of McConaughey and you forget for a little bit that this isn’t really his job. He is also somewhat sleazy and thinks extremely highly of himself and his decisions.
I think I would have enjoyed the movie more if it would have been about Dallas and not about Channing Tatum’s character Magic Mike. Speaking of…
What I Didn’t Like:
Channing Tatum is a good looking actor without many skills when it comes to dramatic acting. Guy can dance and he is pretty funny, plus he’s an easy enough to look at that it will keep the girlfriend/wife smiling throughout any movie he appears in.
He just didn’t convince me that he was having a real conflict between his job of stripping and real life, which was pulling him in a direction towards something less risky. So I’m not sorry that I took his acting as the worst part of this movie.
The reason I was sold on this movie in the first place was I thought it was going to be more comedy than drama. It started to take a serious turn when Adam’s character became more involved with the wrong people and Michael started contemplating his life.
It did not seem that a movie based around a male stripper, would somehow find the seriousness involved with that lifestyle. If you’re going that direction, get a different actor to try and tow that fine line.
F = Forget It!
I know a lot, and I do mean a lot, of people are going to ask me why I even bothered reviewing this movie. I thought that it was going to be funny, which it did have its moments, but overall it tried to be too serious. I emphasis tried because who wants to go see a serious movie about this topic?
This movie is going to make money because of the sex appeal and taboo nature of the movie. Don’t go because you are not missing out on anything. If you go to any movie, go to see Ted. At least that movie is as advertised; funny.
Next Up: Savages
