People generally go see strippers for one reason: to watch them strip. People go see movies about strippers for a slightly more varied set of reasons — perhaps for the cast, perhaps for a little narrative context to go with their chiseled abs — but for the most part, they want stripping.
“Magic Mike,” the original, missed this point. It billed itself as a sexy comedy then delivered an exaggerated ensemble dramedy, providing a stale warning tale of the hard-partying stripper lifestyle while still expecting the audience to sit back and enjoy the nearly-nude view.
Fortunately, “Magic Mike XXL” does not fall into the same trap as its predecessor. It neatly ties up loose ends from the first film, removing both the nefarious club owner Dallas (played by Matthew McConaughey) and boring love interest Brooke (Cody Horn) from the picture to make room for a simple story of five strippers going on a road trip for one last crazy show.
The gang’s odyssey to Myrtle Beach takes up most of the film’s nearly two-hour runtime, which certainly could have been pared down a bit. Several stops on their journey feel needlessly protracted, and a few tense dialogue sequences among the strippers add little to the plot or message.
However, their journey is generally lighthearted and delivers plenty of laughs. An extended gag in which the whole group takes molly and excitedly discusses pursuing their dreams (somewhat ironic, given the previous film’s stance on drug use) is funny and surprisingly charming. Shortly after, Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello) steals the show when his character improvises a dance routine inside a gas station convenience store solely to see if he can get the sullen woman working behind the register to smile. He can, and in this moment he learns the true power of his talents as a male entertainer.
“Magic Mike XXL” works because it presents the quaintest, kindest portrait imaginable of male strippers: they are men who just want to make women feel loved. It convincingly argues women are sexual beings and individuals who deserve to be cherished, appreciated and, obviously, sexually satisfied. The sequel takes this sex-positive message from the original and develops it to great success, showing women of many different shapes, sizes, races and ages as deserving of pleasure.
As the men discover their true potential as entertainers, they learn to incorporate their respective passions, including carpentry, singing and even artisanal frozen yogurt, into their routines. They go out of with a bang (no pun intended) with one final blow-out performance then, the film implies, are able to move on and pursue their dreams. The net effect is good-humoredly inspirational and a great improvement upon the melodrama of the original.
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