Awkwardly Ok - Magic Mike Review

So yea, I saw Magic Mike. I went for a couple reason. 1) I love movies, and the general rule of thumb is that watching a movie is almost always better than not watching a movie (Some exceptions apply) 2) I love my wife and it's nice to see something that she wants once and awhile. 3) Channing Tatum has really been impressing me lately - see 21 Jump Street Review - and I really think with a couple more solid films under his belt he could be a proper A-list star.

Is this from 21 Jump Street or Magic Mike!??!?! Who knows!?It wasn't the worst film ever made, not by a long shot. It very much wasn't made for me or my demographic but that is perfectly acceptable. For anyone who disagrees, please see The Expendables. 

The biggest problem this film has is that it takes itself too seriously. It's a movie about male strippers, that in and of itself should be a big red flag for the "don't take the film too seriously committee." There are unhealthy overdoses of tension and drama in this flick - which doesn't help anyone. The film was neither an objective look at the world of male stripping nor was it a light-hearted romp staring the actor who I've decided must be an apex predator from another planet - Channing Tatum. 

That look right there, that's called x-factor.Seriously though, find a woman who isn't smitten by Channing Tatum. There are far better looking actors in Hollywood but that dude has some x-factor that does the work for him. I'm assuming it's some combination of his impressive (no matter who you are) skills as a dancer and the soup of tender/sweet guy movies he has done. It's also possible that my apex predator from a sexy/dancing race of humanoids isn't too far off. If that's the case we better be on guard boys, they be stealing our women!

Magic Mike tries to tell a overly dramatic film rife with friendship, betrayal, love, lust, sin, virtue and the occasional meager attempt at comedy. Throw those all together and what you get is a paint by numbers picture that is entered into a surrealism art fair when it should have been entered into the paint by numbers expo across the street.

Laaaaawwwwww breakers. That was me doing a Matthew McConaughey impression.Even though the southern drawl gets old pretty quick, Matthew McConaughey does a decent job of providing some experienced acting chops to a much younger cast. Aside from Tatum and McConaughey the other performances and actors mostly fly under the radar. If you're female and think you would enjoy Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey as strippers then it's pretty easy to recommend this movie. If you're a dude and your lady wants to take you to this movie, I promise it won't kill you. There are a few good laughs and, let's face it, you very likely owe her for all the Black Hawk Downs/Fifth Elements/and James Bond films over the years. 

4 of 6 - Easy to like for the right audience, but not a great film.Any ladies out there get a screening of Magic Mike in? Is Channing Tatum an apex predator or a good looking dude with the x-factor?