As the only man in the theater watching “Magic Mike XXL,” I began the film slumped in my chair, hoping no one would notice me hiding in the back of the feature.
As the male excess splashed across my screen, I perked up for reasons entirely unexpected: “Magic Mike XXL”is a legitimately good film.
Sure, the plot is as thin as the g-strings flashed in this film, and I don’t think you can quite say this film has a script, but somehow the combination of erotic dancing and male bonding affected me in a more wholesome way than some of the girls in front of me.
Those who saw the first “Magic Mike” and complained that there was too much of an actual story and acting to appreciate the nearly-naked male dancers will find this film a dream.
The film gets rid of real acting (mostly by getting rid of Matthew McConaughey) and focuses on a road trip that turns into a road strip to Myrtle Beach.
Along the way they make numerous pit stops where more clothes are taken off and even more women swoon at the sight of six-pack abs.
We learn more about these characters in conversations that sound like they were improvised on the spot. That’s not a knock against the film; in fact, it’s proof of just how well-oiled this film is.
The jokes all stick and land to the point where I was willing to throw out dollar bills to the actors for being such pros and willing to sell scenes in ways that must have sounded ridiculous on paper.
Prior to this film, I didn’t think it was possible to make dancing to “I Want It That Way” in a gas station hysterical, yet now I can thank muscular men dancing suggestively for changing my mind.
That’s not to say the routine “Magic Mike XXL” puts us through is perfect. The improvisational nature leads to some scenes that could’ve been cut, and the ending comes off as a bit too sudden without any sort of idea of where the group will end up next.
Also, the attempt to throw in another love interest for Mike ends up killing scenes dead as Amber Heard doesn’t really have much to do other than eat cake or look at Mike.
Cutting up certain moments would’ve helped create a set of scenes tighter than all of the abs this film flashed, but all of that is simple small potatoes in an experience that’s strangely enjoyable.
“Magic Mike XXL”ends up being like the best kind of experience a young person can want; it’s not deep and certainly not emotional, but it knows exactly what it wants and what it can do well.
I won’t say I enjoyed it, but by the end, I was sitting up and unafraid of being seen viewing such a movie--this was before the credits rolled and I was the first one out the theater.
Reach the reporter at jagger.czajka@asu.edu or follow @JaggerCzajka on Twitter.
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