+ Best Dance Movie of the Year
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| Please note that Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike isn't a film about The Village People, - as this poster may make some think, - but instead about a group of male strippers in Tampa, Florida |
Mike is a stripper in Tampa, Florida, where he meets young Adam on a construction day job and later introduces him to the colorful, festive, lucrative world of male-stripping.
Magic Mike is the guilty pleasure movie based on its title star Channing Tatum's (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)) own experiences as a young stripper in Tampa. The film is half-way built on its more or less irresistible (depending on your sexual preferences) gimmick of ... hot men stripping!
But around this the film's spectacle (the stripping) is wrapped a good story of a young man finding out a bit more about himself, and how the good life can be, which slowly moves forward to the ending of the film, - which is also terrific.
Magic Mike features some good acts, but none can compete with Tatum's own, divinely wiggling talent in the male stripping dance discipline; Tatum has what will always remain a defining, classic role for his career here. Matthew McConaughey (Mud (2012)) gets another wild, fleshy (in more than one sense) part here, and he is worth both good looks and more than a good laugh as the strip group leader. Young Alex Pettyfer (The Butler (2013)) hits all the right notes as the innocuous Adam 'The Kid', as does Cody Horn (End of Watch (2012)) as his caring sister, whom Mike warms up to, despite her protective step-mothering her brother.
The film is directed by great director Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich (2000)), who is his own director of photography here as usual, and his easy-going camera and low key lighting is masterful. He's obviously having a great, relaxed, fun time with this group of easy-going, happy-go-lucky go-getters here, and the result is hugely enjoyable.
Reid Carolin (Magic Mike XXX (2015)) wrote the script.
Related posts:
Steven Soderbergh: Side Effects (2013) - Modern people screw up in excellent thriller
Behind the Candelabra (2013) - Restraint and extravagance
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
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Solaris (2002) - A suffering space question mark
Watch the awesome trailer for the film here
Cost: 7 mil. $
Box office: 167.2 mil. $
= Huge hit
[Mike was first supposed to be directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive (2011)), Tatum's first choice, but it fell apart, and Soderbergh seems a better fit anyhow. The film became a sensation especially in the States with a 39.1 mil. opening weekend behind Ted (2012). Big especially with women and gays, - which the PR-department for the film targeted at them with different campaigns, - Mike made its budget back 28 times, 68 % of it from North America. The inevitable sequel, Magic Mike XXL (2015) is filming at the moment and eagerly anticipated by Film Excess.]
What do you think of Magic Mike?
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