Alright, Alright, Alright. Let's do this. I liked "Magic Mike." Yes it is a movie about male strippers and there is a lot of bare chested sweaty men thrusting at the screen. But I think there is alot more to this movie then it might give it's self credit for.
This is a very strange movie. For starters it looks gorgeous. I'm not talking about the bodies, come on! I'm speaking about the shots and lighting and all that technical stuff. Maybe it was because I was constantly trying to keep my mind off Male strippers that I was noticing all these other things but I'm telling you this film looked tight. It's nice to see that Soderbergh brought his A-game to a movie about male strippers.
Let's move onto the plot. It's okay and kinda silly at times but for the most part its just real. Nothing about the plot seems too far fetched. Okay maybe the custom furniture thing is but besides that the movie feels very real. Most notably I found myself actually interested in the characters and caring for them. Something I was really shocked by. That's because this movie is not a comedy. Yes it has it funny moments but to be honest this is a very serious story about male strippers and it's only as funny as real life is.
You might considered this film a "Chick Flick," but your probably basing that solely on the fact that there are a bunch of dudes in g-strings dancing. When i think of chick flick I think of a either a romantic comedy or something that tugs at your heart strings. This movie is neither of those. It's a serious look at the male stripper world. Soderbergh presents what could have ultimately been the silliest and worse movie of the summer with such professionalism and class that it kinda sad that it probably will never get the recognition it deserves or at least not for awhile.
Which leads me to my last point. I saw this in a theater full of woman and girls and a few very glum and unhappy men. Clearly the audience seeing this film was there for the bods and that's it. Cheers and Claps would fill the theater when stripping scenes took place and every time we saw Tatum's ass-cheeks. However, when those scenes ended the whole theater would groan and moan with disappointment that we had to watch these plot driving segments as they mostly featured men being fully clothed. Which brings me back to my point, I think I may have been the only one in theater (okay I'm sure there were a few girls in the theater as well) who was appreciating the film for more then its glistening chests. Because the fact the movie revolves around male strippers I think this movie will take a very long time to actually take notice as being more then that.
Judgement Sentence: I give this four Alright's
