Magic Mike

Magic Mike

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Reid Carolin
Photography: Peter Andrews
Starring: Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer
Year: 2012
Country: USA


Much like The Social Network was dubbed 'The Facebook Movie', Magic Mike is even less imaginatively named 'The Channing Tatum Male Stripper Movie'.


I had no qualms about seeing Magic Mike, eighteen years of cinema obsession has left me for the most part a-sexual. In fact, I wanted to see it. The reason for this was mostly the director, Steven Soderbergh. I knew with him involved the movie would be more than what the trailer was letting on. Soderbergh's a storyteller and an auteur at the top of his game, he has no motive to start making exploitation films.


And I was right to trust my faith in film-makers, as Magic Mike is far from one hundred and ten minutes of camp song and dance. Magic Mike is actually a movie about the economy. A lot of it is them sat around, fully dresses, talking about money. There's going to be a lot of disappointed Hen Nights to Magic Mike, in fact it might even ruin their night as it takes a dark turn in the second act, in a Boogie Nights sort of way.


The film starts with Mike (Channing Tatum) at his day job on a construction site where he's set to instruct the new kid, played by Alex Pettyfer. Despite sparking up a new friendship, the newbie's first day at his new job is fairly disastrous and he's fired. That evening he follows Mike into a nightclub, which leads to him discovering Mikes magical alter ego and him eventually becoming a stripper himself. When Mike takes him home the next morning, he meets his sister and romance between the two blossoms.


There's lots of other plot threads weaved in. Like Mike's dreams to become a designer of custom furniture. Or his complicated open-relationship with Olivia Munn's character.


Channing Tatum was actually a male stripper before he was an actor. He worked with screenwriter, Reid Carolin to make the film as authentic as possible. He also produced the film and choreographed all his own dance routines.


Channing Tatum is showing what a good actor he really is in his recent roles. He's breaking out of the awful soppy romance films that he's known for and started to take more daring roles. I actually really like Channing Tatum, I think he walks the line between cool and charm that you want from a Hollywood star.


Matthew McConaughey, who I never thought I would like in anything other than Lone Star and Dazed and Confused, steals the film. I never thought I'd say this but I think he has a shot at a Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year. The man who was once the STD contracted from Hollywood's rape of the the Rom-Com, McConaughey has finally realised that he's more of a Steve Buscemi than a Hugh Grant and this will do his career a service.


Cody Horn didn't impress me much, I found her character a bit bitchy and unlikeable. Alex Pettyfer is reasonable, I can see him going on to do bigger and better things in the near future.


Other actors aren't given much dialogue or screentime, but the films worth watching for TNA Wrestler, Kevin Nash's attempt at dancing alone.


Soderbergh direction is brilliant as is the cinematography which was also Soderbergh under his pseudonym, Peter Andrew.


Magic Mike is a film full of Hollywood clichés and conceits, but the characters are realistic and interesting and the story has charm. As well as that It balances it's fun strip routines well with it's social commentary.


Score: 3/5