Foxcatcher (2014) - Fine performances in Miller's strange true-crime sports drama

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+ Best Pennsylvania Movie of the Year + Best True-Crime Movie of the Year

Its three great, striking-looking stars in matching tracksuits against a dramatic painting of a hunting eagle sets a stark tone on this poster for Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher

Olympic gold-winning wrestler Mark Schultz is approached by a weird, eccentric multi-millionaire named John du Pont, who wants to create the national wrestling team around Schultz at his Pennsylvania mansion.

Foxcatcher is written by E. Max Frye (Amos & Andrew (1993)) and Dan Futterman (In Treatment (2010, TV-series)), based on a true story, and directed by great New-Yorker filmmaker Bennett Miller (Capote (2005)).
Miller succeeds in creating a really strange atmosphere, which also remains tense, and at times feels grotesque. We are kept intrigued by this highly curious story by his direction and fine performances from the three male leads and Sienna Miller (21 Bridges (2019)). Steve Carell (Evan Almighty (2007)) has a very odd first major dramatic role in du Pont.
In the end it is somewhat unsatisfying that Foxcatcher, - which is the mysterious name given to du Pont's wrestling team, - doesn't illuminate more of du Pont and Schultz: Where they both victims of abuse as children? Does du Pont violate Schultz? Perhaps out of a lack of certain real-life proof these questions remain unanswered, leaving Foxcatcher a fascinatingly strange film but also one with a frustrating degree of benightedness to it.

Related posts:

Bennett Miller: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V] 

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Moneyball (2011) - Miller makes compelling baseball movie history 
Capote (2005) - The writing of one of the 20th century's finest non-fiction crime novels comes to life 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 24 mil. $
Box office: 19.2 mil. $
= Huge flop (returned 0.8 times its cost)
[Foxcatcher premiered 19 May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 134 minutes. Miller acquired the rights to the story in 2010 and began development with Gary Oldman as the first choice to play du Pont. Shooting took place in Virginia and Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, from October 2012 - January 2013. Subsequent to the events shown in the film, du Pont spent almost 15 years in prison before dying there at age 72 in 2010. The real Mark Schultz supported the making of the film, was then incensed by it, and then retracted his critique, calling it instead "a miracle." The film opened #24 to a 270k $ first weekend in 6 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #13 and in 759 theaters (different weeks) and grossed 12 mil. $ (62.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 2.5 mil. $ (13 % ) and France with 1 mil. $ (5.2 %). The film was nominated for 5 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Actor (Carell) to Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo (Apartment 12 (2000))) to J.K. Simmons in Whiplash, Director to Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman, Original Screenplay also to Birdman and Makeup and Hairstyling to The Grand Budapest Hotel. It won the directing award at Cannes, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and 2 BAFTAs, won an AFI award and an Independent Spirit award and many other honors. Miller is still just scheduled to return with A Christmas Carrol for troubled Annapurna Pictures. Carell returned in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014); Channing Tatum (The Hateful Eight (2015)) in 22 Jump Street (2014); Ruffalo in The Normal Heart (2014, TV movie) and theatrically in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Foxcatcher is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.89/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Foxcatcher?

22 Jump Street (2014) - Lord/Miller's wobbly, vexing, overrated sequel

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The two stars look ridiculous in a veritable sea of spring-break youths on this poster for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's 22 Jump Street

Our odd cop partner heroes of 21 Jump Street (2012) are given a new mission, which is like a copy of their last mission, only this time the drug problem is in a college instead of a high school, and once again they will have to go undercover.

22 Jump Street, which like its successful predecessor is based on the 21 Jump Street (1987-91) TV-series, makes it a meta-joke in itself that its plot is so close to the first film. The film often nearly implodes, because the filmmakers behind it also can't take their concoction seriously and stuff it with meta-jokes and references simply to keep it going.
Much of 22 Jump Street, in particular its editing, music and overall style, seems to have been created by - and for - galling teenagers with ADD. Channing Tatum (Logan Lucky (2017)) has gotten chubbier, and Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)) looks more tired than usual. Many of the scenes and jokes fall flat on their asses.
22 Jump Street seems long and a bit awkward. There are still a few fun moments, especially scenes with Jillian Bell (Idiotsitter (2014-17)) who is the funniest part of the film. It also has a funny poster sequence for future Jump Street sequels during the end credits.
22 Jump Street is written by Michael Bacall (Project X (2012)), Oren Uziel (Freaks of Nature (2015)) and Rodney Rothman (Grudge Match (2013)), with Hill contributing story elements, and directed by great directing partners Floridian Phil Lord and Washingtonian Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie (2014), both). The two have wisely moved on to other things after this.

Related posts:

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
The Lego Movie (2014) - Glue and near-robotic square-mindedness gets a kick in the head in the year's surprise family favorite
21 Jump Street (2012) - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill dish out some loud buddy cop fun
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - Hefty-paced fun in 3D food lunacy 
 

Watch a teaser trailer for the film here

Cost: 84.5 mil. $
Box office: 331.3 mil. $
= Big hit
[22 Jump Street premiered 4 June (New York) and runs 112 minutes. Filming took place in Puerto Rico and Louisiana, including New Orleans, from September - December 2013. The film opened #1 to an excellent 57 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for 5 consecutive weeks (moving to #2-#2-#3-#4) and grossed a huge 191.7 mil. $ (57.9 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 31.4 mil. $ (9.5 %) and Australia with 21 mil. $ (6.3 %). The gross far exceeds the 201.5 mil. $ the first film made. The film's budget is listed as 50 mil. $ at Box Office Mojo, but a leaked final budget document lists it as the above, - and since an unreported 34.5 mil. $ tax credit seems unlikely, the final budget document's estimation is used here. Another info from the Sony leaks of 2015 concerns the series' further sequel plans, which are a film ('MiB 23'), which is to mix the Men in Black franchise with the Jump Street characters, directed by James Bobin (Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)). With Bobin's latest major flop in mind, it is uncertain whether this strange crossover film will ever materialize. 22 Jump Street is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of 22 Jump Street?

Logan Lucky (2017) - Soderbergh returns with amusing, slow hillbilly heist comedy

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Why the four stars are in B/W while sitting on a strikingly yellow race-car on this poster for Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky is a mystery

Jimmy Logan is a good guy, who gets laid off from his low-paying construction job and cooks up a plan to rob the local NASCAR race with the help of his Iraq veteran bartender brother, their sister Mellie and the incarcerated demolition expert Joe Bang. - But can they break the 'Logan curse' of bad luck?

Logan Lucky is the 27th feature from Georgian master filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Haywire (2011)). It is written by the mysterious Rebecca Blunt, who seems to be an non-existing person, a pseudonym, possibly for Soderbergh himself. The film marks Soderbergh's return to feature-directing, which he had announced he was retiring from after Behind the Candelabra (2013, TV-movie). He didn't really retire, though: He directed The Knick (2014-15) and is now back behind a feature release.
Logan Lucky is a heist or a caper comedy and thus an extension of Soderbergh's biggest hits yet, his Ocean's movies, Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). But this film is also almost antithetical to those films, in that it revolves in the Southern 'home-land' area of the US without any hints of glamour or international prestige and portrays a coup that's carried out by some down-on-their-luck country types. There are hicks, (especially Joe Bang's not too bright brothers), and the film delights sardonically in the cultural activities of its North Carolina characters.
Logan Lucky thrives on a slow pace that's inferred by its characters and setting, but this also robs it of any kind of suspense, which is a shame. Soderbergh, who has also photographed and edited the film himself, relishes the hillbilly quality to the point where he denies his heist film suspense, and that leaves it up to humor and drama to buoy it. The film has humor, and especially Daniel Craig (Spectre (2015)) is enjoyable, immersed completely in the odd Joe Bang character, but it isn't funny or dramatic enough to make up for its slowness overall. Especially not when seen in the context of Soderbergh's usually snappy and very exciting films.
Channing Tatum (The Dilemma (2011)) make women and men swoon over him again in this good guy role as Jimmy Logan, and he shares the film's best scenes with Farrah Mackenzie (You Get Me (2017)), who is really sweet as his daughter. SPOILER When she leaves Rihanna alone and decides to go for Take Me Home, Country Roads at the talent section of her beauty pageant performance, because her father finally shows up, she really steals our hearts.
The film has quite a cast, which also boasts Hilary Swank (The Black Dahlia (2006)), LeAnn Rimes (Good Intentions (2010)) singing beautifully, Dwight Yoakam (Under the Dome (2014, TV-series) as the stubborn, amusing warden with the George R.R. Martin-obsessed inmates, Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy (1998-17)) unsurprisingly apt at playing an intolerable douche, Adam Driver (Paterson (2016)), Katie Holmes (The Extra Man (2010)) and Riley Keough (It Comes at Night (2017)).
Logan Lucky is a pretty good time, and Soderbergh can only thank himself and his many previous great films for having set the bar generally higher than this.

Related posts:

Steven Soderbergh: 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Magic Mike XXL (2015) - Lots of fun and skin but still no gay as Mike goes to the convention (cinematographer, editor) 
2013 in films - according to Film Excess
Side Effects (2013) - Modern people screw up in excellent thriller 
Behind the Candelabra (2013) - Restraint and extravagance 
Magic Mike (2012) - Soderbergh and Tatum score big with cheeky male strip romp 
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2011 in films - according to Film Excess 
Contagion (2011) - Soderbergh's global pandemic creep-out  
Haywire (2011) - Soderbergh's taut, stylish ensemble actioner is a masterpiece
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
The Informant! (2009) - Soderbergh and Damon's terrific true-crime dramedy  
Che Part One - The Argentine (2008) - Soderbergh's sober depiction of the Cuban revolution 
Solaris (2002) - A suffering space question mark  
Erin Brockovich (2000) - Roberts, Soderbergh and Grant's triumphant biopic  

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 29 mil. $
Box office: 39.6 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[Logan Lucky premiered 7 August (Tel Aviv) and runs 119 minutes. Michael Shannon and Matt Damon were in talks to star before the cast came together. Only Soderbergh and Driver have vouched that Blunt exists. Soderbergh has called Logan Lucky an "anti-glam version of an Ocean's movie." Filming took place in Georgia and North Carolina from August 2016 - ?. Soderbergh has financed the film with presales to foreign markets and kept a close control of domestic distribution, steering clear of the major studios. He has said that with this tactic, the film would be 'a win' with a 'modest 15 mil. $ opening'. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release The Hitman's Bodyguard and holdover hit Annabelle: Creation, to a weak 7.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent two more weeks in the top 5 (both at #5) and has grossed 26.9 mil. $ to date. The film has yet to open in big markets Spain (12 October), France (25 October) and Japan (18 November), but so far its performance isn't impressive. Logan Lucky is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Logan Lucky?

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) - Sommers tries to fire up Hasbro's second, less interesting movie venture

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A sexually suggestive, fire-and-ice-color-schemed concept define this character-filled poster for Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

A team of international, secret super-soldiers, the G.I. Joes, get their work cut out for them, when a new so-called nanomite weapon gets stolen by its very evil, Scottish manufacturer.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, based on the Hasbro comic strip series which began in 1942 and the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figure toyline (1982-94), is written by Stuart Beattie (I, Frankenstein (2014)), David Elliot and Paul Lovett (Four Brothers (2005), both), with Michael B. Gordon (300 (2006)) and director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy (1999)) contributing story elements. 
The completely idea-vacuumed Joe universe only becomes less engaging from the fact that is consists of an enormous ensemble of characters who are all one-sided and colorless. Channing Tatum's (Stop-Loss (2008)) cheating 'hero' characters takes the cake. Marlon Wayans (The Ladykillers (2004)) and Byung-hun Lee (The Influence/In-peul-loo-eon-seu (2010)) have charm and improve matters some.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a huge-budgeted monstrosity; SPOILER in its almost constant barrage of mostly CGI-based action, the scene of the destruction of the Eiffel Tower of Paris was, to my eyes, a spectacle. But it can't change, however, that this is a braindead dud.

Related posts:

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 175 mil. $
Box office: 302.4 mil. $
= Big flop
[G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra premiered 27 July (Tokyo) and runs 118 minutes. The film had been in development for about a decade and only moved into production following the success of Hasbro's first feature franchise, Transformers (2007). Shooting took place from February - June 2008 in California, including Los Angeles, the Arctic, the Czech Republic, including in Prague, in Tokyo, Japan and Paris, France. The film opened #1 to a 54.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent its first 4 weeks in the top 5 (#1-#2-#3-#5) and grossed 150.2 mil. $ (49.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were South Korea with 15.9 mil. $ (5.3 %) and the UK with 10.3 mil. $ (3.4 %). Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5/4 stars, translating to a star harder than this review. The film was nominated for 6 Razzie awards, winning one for Sienna Miller as Worst Supporting Actress. Though the huge-budgeted movie didn't recoup its costs theatrically, it undoubtedly sold plenty of tie-in merchandise. In its first week of home video release in North America, it grossed 40.9 mil. $ from sale of 2.5 mil. discs. A 2013 sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, was also critically panned but made more financially smart, grossing 375 mil. $ on a 'mere' 93 mil. $ budget. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is rotten at 35 % with a 4.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra?

Hail, Caesar! (2016) - The Coen brothers serve a whimsical, flashy letdown

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Joel & Ethan Coen's Hail, Caesar! has stars to boot

Hail, Caesar! is the new movie from Minneapolitan master filmmaker brothers Ethan & Joel Coen (The Big Lebowski (1998)), who wrote and directed it.

In 1950s Hollywood, we follow the 'fixer' of a major movie studio at a time when the star of the studio's expensive epic movie currently shooting gets abducted by a group of disgruntled, Communist screenwriters.

It is sort of curious that the same year sees the release of two major Hollywood movies about Communism in 1950s Hollywood: Trumbo (2015) being the (probably) realistic depiction of the hardships of the Communist film folk put on the Hollywood blacklist, while Caesar! elects to highlight ridiculous sides of the Hollywood Communists, - and show a group of them directly support the Soviet Union. Both films also feature the notorious queen slander Hedda Hopper; in Helen Mirren's villainous guise in the former film, and in Tilda Swinton's (We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)) in dual twin parts in the latter.
This thought aside, there's no doubt that Hail, Caesar! is among the Coens' weakest films, and a steep decline from the masterful Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). The overshadowing problem is that it is meant as a comedy, and it's just not very funny. Caesar! is somehow post-modernly clever without being very smart, because it doesn't gell into a compelling whole, the way for instance the similarly very clever and post-modern The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) managed to. Hail, Caesar! lags far, far behind.
The story consists of two major characters, played by Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men (2007)) and George Clooney (The Descendants (2011)), as fixer Mannix, based on real-life Mannix, who was the 'fixer' at MGM for decades, and missing star Whitlock, respectively. Maybe the problems of the film actually begin with these two main characters: Mannix stands before some practical problems and a big life decision, a job offer, - but it never registers as too important for us. Meanwhile Clooney, - whose antics do add amusement to the film, - is kidnapped, but I don't think anyone ever seriously doubts that he'll make it to the end in fine form.

The details:

With a weak story center, which is never very important or exciting, we have a film that is all about its digressions, or interruptions, if you will. And here lies the main qualities of Caesar!:
Channing Tatum (Magic Mike XXL (2015)) has a terrific tap-dancing scene, - done without a double, - and Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation (2003)) sparkles and is fun as a scandalous actress, based on Esther Williams. Wayne Knight (Jurassic Park (1993)) has a funny scene in the beginning of the film, and some of the scenes concerning the religious epic that Clooney's character stars in are pretty amusing. - But probably mostly for someone with knowledge of the films of the era that are called to mind, (in this case mainly The Ten Commandments (1956) and Ben-Hur (1959).)
Then there's young Alden Ehrenreich (Blue Jasmine (2013)), (Geez what a last name...), who makes a strong impression as a brainless but unearthly handsome cowboy actor, and certainly contributes greatly to the glamorous eye candy that the film also lives on.
All in all a very tolerable but also highly disappointing film from the Coens, whom we should all expect more from after all these years and marvelous films.

Related posts:


Trumbo (2015) - Good actors and a thrilling true story make this biopic work 
Joel & Ethan Coen: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) or, The Man Who Wasn't Dylan 
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Burn After Reading (2008) or, Idiocy 2008 
The Big Lebowski (1998) - The stoner comedy to reign over all
Barton Fink (1991) or, The Writer's Hell

Alden Ehrenreich, looking ready to eat in Joel and Ethan Coen's Hail, Caesar!'s probably best money shot

Watch the excellent trailer for the film here

Cost: 22 mil. $
Box office: 47 mil. $ and counting
= Flop
[Hail, Caesar! premiered in LA February 1 and runs 106 minutes. The project was first presented by the Coens in 2004. The film was shot in LA from November 2014 by Roger Deakins (Doubt (2008)) on film, which he has said that he doesn't want to do again, [because] "I don't think the infrastructure is there." The film opened the Berlin International Film Festival later in February. It opened #2, behind Kung Fu Panda 3, in North America, to an 11.4 mil. $ first weekend and grossed 29.3 mil. $ (62.3 % of the total gross) domestically. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 3.5 mil. $ (7.4 %) and Germany with 2.5 mil. $ (5.3 %). Hail, Caesar! is certified fresh at 83 % with a 7.1 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hail, Caesar!?

21 Jump Street (2012) - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill dish out some loud buddy cop fun

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The stars of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's 21 Jump Street look misplaced at a high school prom on this poster for the flick

QUICK REVIEW:

The nerd and the popular jock from the same high school meets some years hence in the police academy and later again as rookie cops, as they are sent on an undercover mission to search out the drug source that is supplying a high school.

On the corpse of the original, more or less straight-faced, youth-eschewed cop series (21 Jump Street (1987-91)), here gets erected a self-conscious, energetic raunch comedy with two enthusiastic stars and lots of fun comedians and actors in supporting parts: Talents like Rob Riggle (The Hangover (2009)), Ice Cube (Ride Along (2014)) and Dave Franco (Unfinished Business (2015)), who not only is a real dish, - he can act, too!
The film features prominent amounts of music and yelling, which can be a little intense, but if you're in the mood for it, 21 Jump Street is definitely a successful adaptation, (which I figure is the best word to describe its link to the original show.) It's festive, silly, wild, has a liberal view on drugs, (which won't fall in everyone's favor), plus a car chase with three limos(!). The funniest gag: SPOILER When big car accidents don't result in huge explosions, twice.
21 Jump Street is written by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)), with star Jonah Hill (The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005), actor) contributing some story, and directed by Phil Lord and Christoper Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), both).

Related review:

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller: The Lego Movie (2014) - Glue and near-robotic square-mindedness gets a kick in the head in the year's surprise family favorite
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - Hefty-paced fun in 3D food lunacy 

Watch the red band trailer for the film here

Cost: 42 mil. $
Box office: 201.6 mil. $
= Big hit
[21 Jump Street took most people by surprise, because it mostly didn't inspire great expectations and turned out to be pretty funny. It opened #1 in North America with a 35 mil. $ first weekend, kicking The Lorax (2012) out of the spot after two weeks there. It grossed 138.4 mil. $ in North America (69 % of the total gross), and a sequel, 22 Jump Street, also by Lord and Miller, was released in 2014. The third film, 23 Jump Street, is now in development.]

What do you think of 21 Jump Street?

Magic Mike XXL (2015) - Lots of fun and skin but still no gay as Mike goes to the convention

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+ Best Dance Movie of the Year
+ Best Shooting Star Actor of the Year (Donald Glover)

The five recurring stars of Gregory Jacobs' Magic Mike XXL

So this is gonna sound silly... Here's a plot outline for Magic Mike XXL:

Mike is trying to run his carpenter business, but when he hears the song he used to dance for, he decides it's time to go with the decimated 'Kings of Tampa' on a trip to make his dent at the stripper convention in Florida.

No doubt XXL is a worthy follow-up to Steven Soderbergh's stripper hit Magic Mike (2012). - Audiences love it, and it is an extremely light, good time at any cinema this overheated summer. The inferences coming are minor, - I certainly didn't miss either Matthew McConaughey or Alex Pettyfer from the previous film, - and I am in fact very close to awarding the film its fourth ♥.
Soderbergh serves only as cinematographer and editor of XXL, as he has left the director's chair for his long-time first assistant director Gregory Jacobs (Wind Chill (2007)). Reid Carolin (Magic Mike) is back as writer and producer, and the tone is similar to the first film, though the hint of seriousness in the first film, - McConaughey's douchey character, the drug issue theme, - is totally gone in XXL. This Magic Mike is pretty much all fun and games, - and some spectacular male stripping!
- What's not to love?

Young Donald Glover is my favorite added value in Gregory Jacobs' Magic Mike XXL - look out for him in the future!

A rundown of the most enjoyable actors in the new movie:
Channing Tatum (Jupiter Ascending (2015)) is back in top shape and can still move like you wouldn't believe. Joe Manganiello (Sabotage (2014)) gets a more prominent part in the new film; he is a welcome enhancement, funny and sexy. Adam Rodriguez (About Last Night (2014)) is also a looker, and his final performance is probably the best of all of them. Of fresh faces, we get Stephen 'tWitch' Boss (Step Up 4: Miami Heat (2012)), an amazing dancer giving another of the film's best dances in the club owned (in the film) by Jada Pinkett Smith (The Nutty Professor (1996)), who acts out her cool character with flair and gusto aplenty. Andie McDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)) is another stop on the way for the guys; she has a memorable role, - and still looks great, - in XXL. Finally there's Donald Glover (Community (2009-14)), my favorite addition, a very promising young actor.
OK so here are the small problems with Jacobs' male stripper romp: First of all, the team behind it have teased that the sequel would have something in it especially for the gay audiences, which, besides a short stop at a drag bar in the beginning, it really doesn't have at all. - Major disappointment.
Secondly, Matt Bomer's (The Normal Heart (2014)) character is really pissed at Tatum's for something that is never really clear. Perhaps those two should have had the gay storyline that apparently couldn't be apart of something as pristine as the sequel to a movie about male strippers... - Let me know your opinion in a comment, if you have one.
Lastly, the skimpy plot grinds around in at least two clichés: The guys visit the black strip club, which is a paradise of lush, no-holds-barred passion; then they visit a house full of middle-aged, wealthy, white women, who are (of course) sexually neglected and a bit sad.
But there's still some fun characters, game actors, many amusing scenes and crazy male stripping, which makes up a really big chunk of the film, just as it should be.

Related posts:

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Magic Mike (2012) - Soderbergh and Tatum score big with cheeky male stripper romp

Stephen 'tWitch' Boss lets you enjoy his formidable body and moves in Gregory Jacobs' Magic Mike XXL

Adam Rodriguez is back for Gregory Jacobs' Magic Mike XXL

Here's the awesome trailer for the movie -- now go and have an awesome time at the movies with Magic Mike XXL

Cost: 14.8 mil. $
Box office: 21.3 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[XXL only opened July 1st, and so the first weekend's gross is not even in yet, but it looks like a sure bet that it's gonna make a lot of dough, especially because it has a surprisingly low reported cost. - Probably key people in and behind it are taking profit percentages instead of salaries.]

What do you think of Magic Mike XXL?