[8]

Steven Soderbergh turns the directing reigns over to Gregory Jacobs for this sequel to Magic Mike, but stays involved as director of photography and editor (under pseudonyms). The sequel turns out to be superior because its infinitely more fun and far less didactic and moralizing than its predecessor. The plot is more scant than the men’s on-stage wardrobes, but for a movie like this, that’s a good thing! Soderbergh has been interviewed bemoaning the ‘tyranny of narrative’ and here is a movie that steers around it.

Basically, the guys (minus McConaughey and Pettyfer from the first film) decide to make an impromptu road trip to Florida for a big male stripping competition. And that’s it. That’s the story. It takes a little convincing on Channing Tatum’s part, since his character has been a successful furniture maker for three years, but then they’re on the road for most of the rest of the film. I’ve always loved road movies because they always tend to give the characters plenty of breathing room. Magic Mike XXL is no exception to that rule, with major highlights happening when the guys encounter two terrific supporting players. Jada Pinkett Smith is the first, playing a former fling of Mike’s who runs her own steamy bayou sex joint. Andie MacDowell is the second, playing a southern housewife who takes the guys in for a night’s rest and engages them in dialogue more interesting than you might expect from a movie of this kind. There’s a lot more stripping in the first film than in the sequel, but the sequel nearly makes up for it in its climactic third act, where all of the guys get their moment in the spotlight surrounded by hundreds of adoring fans.

Joe Manganiello and Andie MacDowell get it on in ‘Magic Mike XXL’

While the first Magic Mike annoyed me with its drug supblot and depressing second half, I thoroughly enjoyed Magic Mike XXL‘s spirit of adventure and party atmosphere. It may be a popcorn movie, but Soderbergh makes it look like high art, and the cast are clearly having one hell of a time. The feeling is infectious.

With Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Gabriel Iglesias, and Elizabeth Banks