Magic Mike

Magic Mike: The dawn of the cockumentary?

Magic Mike, to put it mildly, is a very special movie – for many different reasons, some of them obvious. But is it just a vehicle for cheap titillation? Or is it the sexual objectification of men in movies that women have been waiting for? A few excitable women give their 2 cents.

Let’s first get the what Magic Mike is all about out of the way:
Mike (played by Channing Tatum) is an entrepreneur with dreams of starting his own customised furniture business. But before he can get it off the ground he moonlights as a male stripper in Florida. He ropes in a lost youth he nicknames The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) and introduces him to the mad highs and easy money of his world. But will it be enough for him?

Magic Mike is, of course, not the first movie to explore the male stripping industry. British comedy The Full Monty released in 1997 took the box office by storm, and it didn’t have an ounce of the glamour or any of the six packs on display here.

So what’s the most compelling reasons for another male stripper movie?
Male strippers without having to pay in small bills – bonus! - Sam Brighton
To see what the MALE human body is capable of… - Jean-Marie Korff

Besides Channing Tatum, whose own life story as a former stripper hoping to make it big inspired the movie, and Alex Pettyfer, Magic Mike also stars Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Bomer,  and Joe Manganiello as men who, as the movie’s tagline puts it, "Work all day. Work it all night".

But with so many oiled torsos to admire, which actor brings it the most to Magic Mike? And who didn’t quite work it hard enough?
Alex Pettyfer. He’s actually hot. And a pretty decent actor. – Lauren Hess
Channing Tatum’s dance moves, for sure. I wouldn’t replace anyone, would just add more scenes with Joe Manganiello. – Aneeqah Emeran
Matthew McConaughey’s body and acting skills are equally impressive. If I had to replace anyone, it would have been the guy from CSI (Adam Rodriguez) – his butt is way too jiggly to be convincing in this role.  – Sam
Matthew McConaughey really pulls this one off. He’s so natural in this role, that it makes you wonder whether he’s just being himself…I wouldn’t replace anyone, they’re all hot enough! – Jean-Marie

There were more than enough jaw dropping moments, but everyone agreed it was one particular moment involving Joe Manganiello's Big Dick Richie preparing for his stage act that left us gaping:
His penis pump photobomb.

Magic Mike is also a great showcase for some fantastic party music, but which song would you have liked to have seen the cast move to?
Lapdance by NERD. – Lauren
Naked Love, from Adam Lambert’s new album Trespassin. – Aneeqah
Closer by Nine Inch Nails. – Jean-Marie
Snoop Dogg’s Drop It Like It’s Hot – Sam

Best and worst scenes?
Unexpectedly, the humour and, expectedly, the dance scenes.  Was disappointed by the underuse of Joe Manganiello.  – Lauren
Big Dick Richie mending his own gold thong at a sewing machine while wearing geeky spectacles. But there wasn’t nearly enough Big Dick Richie scenes to go around.  – Aneeqah
Channing Tatum shaking it to Ginuwine’s Pony. Put that on repeat! The worst part was Cody Horn who played The Kid’s sister. She was lame, especially compared to the awesomeness of Channing Tatum. – Sam
The best parts were men stripping. The worst parts were men not stripping. – Jean-Marie

But is Magic Mike only for sexually frustrated women?
There’s actually a story there. And what some people don’t know is that the movie is loosely based on Channing Tatum’s life as a stripper…yes he did strip for money once. – Jean-Marie
It’s not all stripping and sex, though there is plenty of that. It also shows the darker side of the male stripping world, which anyone who don’t want to see the movie for the hot dancing males would appreciate. – Aneeqah
It’s like A Beautiful Mind. But with torsos. And bare arses. – Lauren
It’s an in-depth look at the seedy undercarriage of the male stripping business. A cockumentary, if you will. – Sam

And how many gold thongs would you award Magic Mike?
Normally I’d say three but there’s a scene with a penis pump that makes me feel it deserves a four. – Lauren
4 – Jean-Marie
4 Joe Manganiello-sized gold thongs! – Sam
Three gold thongs…or maybe four - Aneeqah