Magic Mike

   

   I always feel lucky when I get to see a movie a little earlier than most people. I enjoy it because I get to tell all of you what you can expect and if you will be entertained or not.  You always see a lot of the same people at these screenings and nothing really exciting happens.  When the big films come out, like Spider Man, or maybe The Dark Knight, you tend to see crowds that you don’t usually see, but with that being said nothing prepared me for the crowd I saw Magic Mike with.

    Now being a heterosexual male you would think I wouldn’t have a lot to say about a movie about a group of male strippers. You might be right, but this is a movie about male strippers directed by Steven Soderbergh, so that makes it very easy to watch and to talk about. Mike (Channing Tatum) seems to have it all, great looks and great personality and he is the hottest stripper at a male revue club in Tampa. Mike has dreams of opening his own custom furniture design shop, so he does odd jobs other than just entertain the ladies. On one of these jobs he meets a young kid named Adam (Alex Pettyfer), who seems a little down on his luck after losing a football scholarship. Mike decides to help Adam out and gives him a chance to help with anything at the club he dances at. Events occur that put Adam on stage at the club that is run by Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), who acts like a ring announcer now that his own personal entertaining days are over with. Adam gets into the life too much and starts going down paths that he shouldn’t travel. Mike on the other hand is intrigued by Adam’s sister Brooke (Cory Horn) and the desire to live his dream.  So there’s equal balance of conflict and story for the guys and ‘raining men’ for the ladies.

       When I arrived at the theater I did not know if I was watching a movie or I was in fact about to watch a live show with male dancers. I was even more confused when the movie started and women were yelling at the screen, I may have seen a dollar or two thrown at the screen. The good thing is you don’t have to be a girl to enjoy this movie, because it actually is an enjoyable film to watch. Channing Tatum once again shows that he is more than just something to look at. He brings the same charisma and sense of humor he showed in this years “21 Jump Street”. It is easy to get lost in the fact that everyone looks good in this movie, including the film itself, because of the camera work of Soderbergh. So guys this weekend make your girl happy and take her to see Magic Mike, she will enjoy it, you will enjoy it, and who knows what magic might happen for the both of you after the movie.

Brian Taylor