Magic Mike 2 is the continuing story of male stripper, Magic Mike, played by Channing Tatum.
Magic Mike arrived in movie theaters during the summer of 2012, going on to earn over $113 million in the United States, and was directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Magic Mike 2, AKA Magic Mike XXL, does not feature the return of Matthew McConaughey or Alex Pettyfer, both of whom starred in the original.
Matt Bomer does return, however, to the delight of all the gays and women in the world, who loved him in the first Magic Mike movie.
Magic Mike 2 review
By Audrey Shine (Wild About Movies resident critic)
There can be no doubt that this cast features some of the best looking, best built, best dancing men on the planet. It is just a shame that this sequel doesn’t have the dramatic plot or personnel journeys of the first Magic Mike. In fact, only the dancers and Tobias (Gabriel Iglecias) are back – the other main characters, such as Matthew McGonaughey’s “Dallas” and Alex Perryfer’s “Adam” are all explained away.
The plot is thin – the dancers have reunited under a fake-wake pretense and decide to journey to a male stripper contest. They have a few problems and make a few stops along the way, visiting distant acquaintances (Andie MacDowell) and old friends (Jada Pinkett Smith), but the grand finale and really the point of the whole movie, is the stripping/dancing competition at the end. These performances do not disappoint – each dance is creative, daring, and athletic (you won’t believe Michael Strahan!) Of course, Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Nash, and Joe Manganiello can stop hearts, but the performances are not the fun campy themes of the first movie. Each performance is singular, tightly choreographed, and very interactive. But my favorite was Joe Manganiello and the soda machine which happens earlier in the movie- it just looked like that all concerned were really having fun. Is the rest of the movie fun? In places, a little tedious and predictable. See it for the dancing, the sets, and of course, the fantasy.
