Steven Soderberg mixes experimental work with well-honed populist fare; this unusual 2012 film mixes the two to good effect. Channing Tatum is ideally cast as Magic Mike, a stripper who wants to find a way out of the business. His admiration for his entrepreneurial boss Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) puts some juice in his tank, but up-and-coming rival Adam (Alex Pettyfer) threatens to derail Mike’s schemes. The trailers for Magic Mike suggested a raucous hen-party, but Soderberg delivers something far more reflective, a study of a man awakening to his own responsibility for life, but compromised by working in a business where money comes before art. McConaughey’s turn as a virile performer, strutting in an Uncle Sam hat, demonstrates his uncanny ability to inhabit a role to impressive effect.
Good review. I had a great time with this flick because I loved the style that Soderbergh gave off, the energy that he had with the stripping scenes, and the story that actually took me. Also, the performances weren’t too shabby, either.