‘Magic Mike’ Sexy, Lacks Good Story

By NANCY BELLE

If you go to see “Magic Mike” at Cheap Seats this weekend looking forward to something more than the chance to see Channing Tatum in various states of undress, then you will be severely disappointed with the film. Despite clocking in at a few minutes shy of two hours in length, “Magic Mike” is too long. Lacking a coherent plot, the much buzzed-about movie about male strippers is a train wreck from beginning to end.
The film, loosely based on Tatum’s life as a stripper in Tampa, Fla. before he became a model and, subsequently, an actor, tells the story of Adam (Alex Pettyfer) also known as “The Kid,” a 19-year-old looking for his purpose in life, and his mentor, “Magic Mike,” (Tatum) whom he meets while working on a construction site.
Mike takes Adam to the Xquisite strip club where he works. After another dancer is injured, Adam ends up being thrust on stage to perform for the first time. Throughout the movie, we see the progression of Adam’s talents and meet a few other strippers who work with Magic Mike at the Xquisite.
The movie goes from being disjointed at times to being straight up bizarre, especially whenever “Dallas” (Matthew McConaughey) is on screen. Dallas, an aging former stripper, is the owner of Xquisite. He has an over-inflated ego and a lack of talent. The role is reminiscent of McConaughey’s portrayal of David Wooderson in “Dazed and Confused,” an older character who tries to fit in with the younger crowd, forgetting that he is not really their age. This combination causes him to do some strange things while on stage at the Xquisite, including randomly playing the bongos, perhaps a nod to McConaughey’s arrest for playing the bongos while naked.
Stripping makes up the only good parts of the movie, but, sadly, those scenes are few and far between. Tatum proves himself as a dancer, moving in ways you might not think possible, and his few strip teases are by far the best parts of the entire film.Sadly, the dance scenes do not manage to make up for the incoherent plot, poor character development and lack of a resolution at the end of the film, leaving viewers bored for large chunks of time.
If you go see “Magic Mike” at Cheap Seats this weekend, don’t expect to be impressed. There isn’t much going on, aside from the nearly-naked men.