This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Magic Mike: Good (Not Clean) Fun

A review from a female perspective. Perhaps the most shocking thing about Magic Mike is there is more to the movie than just good-looking men with chiseled abs taking off their clothes.

A review from a female perspective

Despite the fact I wouldn't be caught dead watching the new male-stripper movie Magic Mike (in a theater or on DVD), there is no denying that the movie has garnered an insane amount of buzz and nearly every group of more than two women are discussing the film if not planning to go see it. "Luckily" my wife (Tara) and her friends were no different and went to see Magic Mike on opening night. If for some reason you are interested in seeing a bunch of half-naked movie stars dance around, then check out her review of Magic Mike below…

Magic Mike is good fun!  It can't really be called good clean fun, as there are plenty of scenes to make women clap and squeal in delight while making most male viewers cringe and avert their eyes. (It is a movie about male strippers after all). Just to be clear, the R rating is well-deserved as there are lots of bare abs and butts and some scenes at the strip club that simulate very adult activities. Perhaps the most shocking thing about Magic Mike is there is more to the movie than just good-looking men with chiseled abs taking off their clothes. 

Find out what's happening in Fredericksburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As  most people know by now, Magic Mike is loosely based on Channing Tatum's experience as a stripper. In the movie, Mike, played by Tatum, is a thirty-year old roofer who strips at night so he can save every dollar stuffed in his g-string to start his own custom furniture business. He takes Adam aka "The Kid" (Alex Pettyfer, best known for I am Number Four) under his wing and into the world of male stripping.  The Kid agrees to do odd jobs for the slightly smarmy but hot club owner (brilliantly played by Matthew McConaughey), but inevitably gets pulled onstage to perform.  As you would expect there are several eye-popping and amusing scenes as The Kid goes from novice to professional. However, at the same time a deeper plot develops as The Kid is drawn into the darker aspects of the business including parties, drugs, and drug dealers. Ultimately, Mike and The Kid must make several difficult decisions that affect each other's lives and thankfully make the movie more than just Showgirls (1995) for women.

Channing Tatum was great in Magic Mike, doing what he does so well, playing a likable every guy character, and movie-goers will certainly enjoy seeing his moves in the club.  Alex Pettyfer is also good as The Kid, but I personally never cared as much about his storyline as Mike's.  I would have liked to see the other cast of characters (the delicious Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, and Adam Rodriguez) more on stage, but instead they were limited to just a few group dance scenes.

Find out what's happening in Fredericksburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you do decide to see Magic Mike I recommend going with a group of women to fully enjoy the experience. The movie theater atmosphere definitely added a lot to Magic Mike for me.   I saw the movie Friday night at Regal 14 during the severe storms which caused the power to be knocked out for a few minutes, leaving a theater full of rowdy women looking for something to watch. At one point some of the rowdier women even cheered for the theater manager to perform for the crowd during the unscheduled intermission. And when two theater security guards in uniform walked through… well let's just say those men have probably never had a reaction like that before at the theater!

Final Cut: All in all, I don't think too many men will be seeing this movie in the theater (some will even refuse to watch it when it comes out on DVD), but I don't think you will find any woman who regrets going to see Magic Mike.

Grade: B

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?