I know, I know. Date night? Really? Well, yes and no. Yes, if you've got a dude who loves film and understands subtext. No if your mister thinks that this is a movie SOLELY about stripping or that it's a comedy. I know this is a movie that my husband will really enjoy, but for this date, I went with my two besties, Ari & Jessy.
The movie theatre only had women—four of whom were pregnant and two who were over 60 and had possibly the best running commentary I've ever heard during a film, "It must be alcohol! Strong alcohol!" (party drug GHB) "Oh, well look at that!" "That's his penis!"
If you are looking for something very in your face, well, the dancing/stripping is, but the film and story are more "Slice of Life" with an abrupt start and finish. I have seen a lot of people dogging this movie because there's no "plot". Well, yes and no. Yes, because Alex Pettyfer's character "Adam" is loosely based on Channing Tatum's experiences as a male stripper in the early 2000s and what came along with it. No, because the film overall is more about gender politics and the consumerist machine that runs Western culture right now. This movie, with it's hyper sexuality is not really ABOUT sexuality. At all. A good example of it is the character of Johana, played by Oliva Munn. She's so "whatever, it's fun!" about sex and sexuality that it doesn't even occur to Mike (Tatum) that she may have some depth or something else about her. The guys also just go on stage and do their job and lose any idea that this is something that is actually sexual for them.
But that's not to say that this movie doesn't showcase some....ahem....assets. I have never, up until this weekend thought that a) Channing Tatum was anything more than a pretty boy not-great-actor from movies like She's the Man or Step Up. B) that I even cared about men dancing. Well, I learned something about myself this weekend. I learned that men that can dance are INCREDIBLY sexy. This is definitely a Channing Tatum vehicle. His acting was surprisingly real, emotional and raw. His dancing...well, those of you who have seen the movie know that if I say "Sweat pants Pony routine" that I mean THE GREATEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN.
We saw this movie at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon and talked about it for 12 full hours. Every 10 minutes. I get that this may not be for everyone, but if you go in expecting "sexy strippers" you'll be disappointed. If you go in knowing that this is a real-life, slice-of-life style dramedy, you'll be better for it.
Yes, there's funny moments but there are also totally sad moments and great epiphanies and incredible acting. Steven Soderbergh created a perfect balance of humour and seediness without making it pornographic. I can't recommend Magic Mike enough and cannot wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray, where I'm hoping each one of the complete dance numbers will be in the special features....in full.
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