Magic Mike Review

Justin and I saw Magic Mike on June 30, 2012. Now, before I get into the review, the theatre was legitimately packed...and Justin and I were the only males there. I also want to point out that if you have a gut feeling that there might be something else going on in a movie than what the trailer is showing you, then go with it. Justin and I were really impressed with this. It's not just a "male stripper movie." The plot does involve this element, but there is alot going on and it focuses on friendships/relationships and the demons that can damage them. Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer in their respective roles of Mike Lane and Adam develop a friendship that has several ups and downs throughout the film. They were both excellent and I think Pettyfer is a future star, because he has decent acting chops. Tatum really did a good job as well, putting on a great dramatic performance mixed in with some great comedic elements. I'd describe the movie as 50/50 comedy and drama. I really liked the dramatic side of this as you begin to get invested with the characters and their stories. The stories all intertwine and create a good cinematic experience. Mike has been working at the Male Revue for 6 years at this point under the tutelage of Dallas played very well by Matthew McConaughey. I think if you give this guy a dramatic role like in The Lincoln Lawyer he does a good job with it. He does this job as part of a way to get his own business going. Adam and him are acquainted on one of his jobs working at a construction site. Mike shows Adam the ropes of making money when he takes him to a nightclub to get customers for the show they will put on. As this is going on, Tatum is involved in a relationship with Joanna played by Olivia Munn, who turns out to be a big time bitch. I really loathed Joanna. You had the sense she was playing Mike. Adam has a sister named Paige played by Cody Horn. She is dating this boring insurance guy named Paul. I just wanted to punch this guy because not only is he the cure for insomnia, he is just a douche. I hate the way he acts. Luckily, this doesn't last. I love Paige's personality and Cody Horn is cute too in my opinion. I honestly hope to see alot more from her. She is somebody that really impressed me throughout. I love her smart, witty dialogue, and I like the way she interacts with Mike. That develops over time. The comedic part is mostly the first half. Then the second part presents the nice dramatic side to counterbalance it. Adam is a guy that does whatever he wants whenever he wants. He gets involved with dangerous things and it effects his life as well as Mike's relationship with Adam, and more importantly Paige. There were some powerful scenes mixed in here that Justin and I really liked. Paige and Mike get into a huge argument while standing over Adam about him growing up and ditching this Magic Mike gimmick he is living off of. Definitely one of my favorite scenes in the movie. I also found a face to face scene between Mike and Dallas about a business venture to be pretty good as well. Dallas is definitely an underhanded character and I could sense that from the start. I really liked watching how Mike wants to show Paige how he isn't a gimmick, he's different from what you see on a stage. He really does an amazing act for Adam that puts a damper on his plans, but still shows how important his friendships and relationships are. There's also some great appearances by Kevin Nash, Joe Manganiello (Alcide in True Blood), and Matt Bomer (Neil Caffrey in White Collar)-actually a very important character in terms of ruining relationships and creating a chaotic environment for the main characters. All in all, we were both impressed by the blend of comedy and drama with a good story and good performances especially by Pettyfer, Horn, and Tatum. I'd recommend seeing this and not just scoffing at it. It really will surprise you at how emotionally invested you will get with the characters. I will give this a 4/5 just because everything clicked really well with this. Steve Soderbergh did a good job with this one.