Magic Mike

Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, & Matthew McConaughey

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Over the years, plenty of bad movies have made millions by simply featuring beautiful women wearing very little, so why not try turning that around? The idea for Magic Mike, actually came from it's star, Channing Tatum, who worked as a male stripper prior to becoming eye candy in some really bad films. The idea was solid, an obvious money maker, but this film really could have been something special, had they added a half way decent story line to it. Magic Mike is about the interactions of three people. You have the eccentric club owner (Matthew McConaughey), his star performer, Magic Mike (Channing Tatum), and the newbie (Alex Pettyfer). The film does take several small breaks from the techno music and dancing strippers, to touch on story lines of regret, romance, corruption, and drug use, but they are so brief and resolved so quickly, that one may ask what was the point? The point of a film like this is to attract people with strippers, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have had a good story to go along with it! The writers could have had just as many dancing scenes and lap dances, but still added something like a rival company or an organized crime connection, something to give this film a little substance, but they didn't. As for the stars, Channing Tatum was his usual robotic self, albeit one that had some pretty sweet dance moves. Alex Pettyfer was fairly entertaining as the newcomer, learning as he goes, but the only true star here was Matthew McConaughey. His jokes and outrageous persona were really pretty good, and the only thing of substance for a true film aficionado to appreciate. Magic Mike was unique and drew large audiences, leading to a sequel due later this year. With a little luck, that film will have a little more substance and a little less dancing, making it appealing to a broader audience.