Before we went to see Magic Mike, we'd read an online review which stated it didn't have much plot and that it was just fantasy fodder for women. All the better, we decided!
Magic Mike starts off with an oiled up and half naked Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) demonstrating for the audience what parts of the strippers they--by law--cannot touch. It is one of my favorite scenes. As he delivered the line in his panty-dropping Southern drawl, "But I think I see a lot of law breakers out up in this house tonight!" I was hooked.
Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog
From there the movie goes on with a glimpse into the main character's life. Everyday Mike (Channing Tatum) is hustling to fund his dream of becoming a custom furniture artist. One of his many jobs is as a roofer which is where he meets Adam (Alex Pettyfer) who's on site as a day laborer. This was the only part of the movie that gave me pause. I mean, if the construction workers in my neighborhood looked like Tatum and Pettyfer, I'd spend all day watching them and I'd never get any writing done. That being said, I will give the stylists for the movie props because they did an amazing job of playing down Pettyfer's natural golden boy beauty. With a day's worth of growth on his face, dish water brown hair and a ratty t-shirt paired with an equally ratty hoodie, Adam does at least dress the part of a nineteen year old without direction.
During this first day-in-the-life, Mike recruits Adam to help at his night job--as a male exotic dancer. Adam is supposed to help out with props and act as gofer to the stars of the show. I found the scenes backstage hilarious. The other performers, played by Alex Rodriguez, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Kevin Nash, are going through their beauty routines and clucking like a bunch of hens about lotions, manscaping and ashy knees. Having seen what Ellora's Cavemen go through to prep for a performance and living with an self-proclaimed manscaper, I loved the accuracy with which this endearing gender role reversal was displayed.
The day concludes with a snafu resulting in Adam having to take the stage. No surprises there and throughout the movie, I could predict the foibles Adam would go through, but then again, what's a good stripper movie without sex, drugs and rock-n-roll? Some of the expected plot turns would be unrealistic to leave out.
What impressed me most about the movie was the quality with which these characters were portrayed. McConaughey was spectacularly sleezy and vane as the club owner Dallas. Pettyfer nailed the adrift, self-absorbed nineteen year old. And Tatum stole the show with his natural charm, seasoned physical beauty and truly skillful dance routines.
Is it the perfect date night movie? Hell no. I don't think hetero men was the target demo of this movie, lol, and I think even the most secure of men would feel overwhelmed with all that god-like perfection on the big screen. But is it the perfect girls/GBFF night out movie? Ohhhh yeahhhhh. All in all, I'd give Magic Mike two thumbs up. Of course other body parts were at full attention throughout the entire 110 minutes *WEG*
No comments:
Post a Comment