MagicMike

Magic Mike: Movie Review

MagicMikeMagic Mike gives director, Steven Soderberg a chance to redeem himself. After directing the decent Contagion, he came along with Haywire. Yes, it was partly shot here in Dublin but that didn’t help how not great it was.

But something must have worked as Soderberg teams up with Tatum Channing again for Magic Mike. Channing plays Mike, ‘an entrepreneur’, construction worker by day, who dreams of having his own custom furniture business. Along comes Adam (Alex Pettyfer) to work on the construction site with Mike and manages to last one day. Adam sees Mike out on the town and no money to get into the club, asks Mike to get him in. In return, Adam just has to chat up two girls. This is where we find out that, by night, Mike’s a stripper or should I say, part of a Male Erotic dance troupe? Either way, he takes off his clothes.

Thus begins the journey where Mike introduces Adam to the stripper lifestyle while Matthew McConaughey (Dallas), introduces him to the stripper moves. It’s not all fun and games though as Adam’s sister Brooke (Cody Horn), quite rightly expresses her concerns as to what this decadent lifestyle is doing to her brother.

The story of Mike, is one of coming of age, OK, slightly older than most but this is an undercurrent that runs throughout the stripping and dance routines. Ah yes, the dance routines and the stripping. On stage, you’ll probably see the six of the hottest male bodies that Hollywood has to offer right now. Throughout the film, we’re treated to both group and solo dance routines. These are totally over the top, entertaining and very funny. One thing that stood out for me, Tatum Channing can dance!!

Running at 110 minutes, this film could be fifteen minutes shorter, it meanders a tad but it captures a vital thing. Girls want to get with them, guys want to be them (Yes, you do! You want that attention) Couple all this with a great soundtrack and you’ve got one of the most entertaining films so far this year.

Worth it!

Magic Mike is in cinemas across Ireland from July 11th