A sequel to Magic Mike was not entirely unexpected for the typical reason that a sequel is fast-tracked: financial success. Yet, the film felt like it had been presented as a one-off. Almost immediately, work began, and just three years later, Magic Mike XXL was coming out in the summer of 2015. It had twice the budget, several more established stars, and a more expansive vibe than its predecessor. Still, casualties were to be expected.
Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, and Oliva Munn were all dropped, with only the first three providing any kind of onscreen explanation. Granted, Olivia Munn’s character was more of a romantic rival/friend against Cody Horn’s character, so it does track that she would be gone, too. With their absence, though, the four other significant strippers from Magic Mike were able to have larger, more colorful parts to play. Alex Rodriguez, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, and Joe Manganiello had vastly increased roles, drawing Channing Tatum’s Mike back into their orbit when they called to inform them that Dallas (McConaughey) was “gone.” Believing that his former boss and friend has died, he immediately abandons his furniture business to go to his friends. There, he discovers that Dallas has simply abandoned them for a stripping venue in Macau and taken only the Kid (Pettyfer) with him. Their loyalty truly knows no bounds.
Magic Mike XXL takes its time to get to the actual reasons why Mike joins Ken (Bomer), Big Dick Richie (Manganiello), Tarzan (Nash), and Tito (Rodriguez). Rather than make light of the situation, as some films might consider this is playing out like a romantic comedy at times, the drama comes in full force. Mike’s life is not the golden ray of sunshine he had hoped it would be when the credits rolled on Magic Mike. Instead, his life is falling to pieces, his dreams are in tatters, and his relationship with Brooke (Cody Horn) flames out when she rejects his proposal. All of these events happen in the grand scheme of things because the sequel needed a plot. However, this is a quite painfully accurate depiction of the real world. Much like in the first film, when Mike attempted to get a small business loan to start out his furniture business in the first place and was turned down because of his career, life has a way of not going the way that we think it should. It can fall apart without much prompting, even when taking appropriate steps.
Magic Mike was presented as a movie about strippers, with all that that entailed. We received a deep analysis of what it takes to be a stripper, from Tarzan, who was clearly in the game only because he had nowhere else to turn despite his advancing age, to Mike, who was trying to make ends meet. But Magic Mike XXL looks beyond just that world into the darker side of other industries, such as photography, which has long been viewed as predatory when paired with its sister industries.
Zoe (Amber Heard) is a photographer the group encounters on their way to Myrtle Beach for a stripping convention. She’s on her way to New York, and while there is an intense amount of flirting, the pair part ways after deciding it was best not to have sex. When they later cross paths (at the house of a friend that Tito made, coincidentally, of course), it turns out that she has recently been harassed by a fellow photographer who convinced her he needed an assistant, only to attempt to involve her in an extramarital affair.
In light of the Me-Too movement, this kind of behavior became center stage – seeing how it was handled beforehand with all of the tact of a sledgehammer, yet taking the time to show the damage it can do, is rather impressive.
The other significant addition to the film is Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith), whom the group first tracks down in Savannah at a strip club she owns, and a woman with whom Mike has a long and storied history. They hope to get her help, which leads to an impromptu performance to prove that he has not lost his skill as a dancer or a performer. She demonstrates her knowledge of Mike’s past through her veiled comments about Dallas. Her role may be brief, but her presence is powerful.
Jada is one of those actresses who makes herself known in every role that she is in. She would continue to remind people of her range with her subsequent few roles: Bad Moms, Girls Trip, and Angel Has Fallen. Rome is critical of Mike because of their history and how he has come crawling back to her now that he needs her help. They both remember their situation differently, another issue we can relate to here in the real world. Still, Mike is trying to reform his friendship with Rome rather than focus on years-old grudges. It takes her a minute to come around, but eventually, she does show up to aid them.
With Amber Heard and Jada Pinkett Smith both pulling in as two capable, well-rounded, and interesting characters who are not present to be fanservice, Magic Mike XXL evolves past its efforts to sexualize its women in order to balance it out for the other half of its audience. I still remember being confused as to why they paraded Olivia Munn around fully nude in a movie ostensibly centered around men stripping. She certainly showed more than any of the men, and it was more than mildly annoying.
We also have Andre (Donald Glover, fresh off of Community) playing a supporting role as a rapper/performer/friend of Rome. With Tarzan out of commission from an earlier car accident, he ferries them to Tito’s friend’s mansion. He joins Rome in the stripping convention at the film’s end to help Mike and his group out. During his second of two big scenes, Andre has a conversation with Ken regarding his music, and, as a struggling actor/level 3 Reiki healer, the two connect over their similar careers. Next is Nancy (Andie MacDowell), the mother of Zoe’s friend (Megan is the friend). She is immediately suspicious of the four men who stroll into her home late at night, claiming to be friends with her daughter. Mike goes through a rambling explanation of the varying jobs they have before Megan (Carrie Anne Hunt) puts them out of their misery and simply explains that they’re male strippers. Nancy ends up having a rendezvous with Big Dick Richie, to her immense pleasure. She rewards them with the keys to her husband’s car, so either Richie is just that good or her husband is just that bad. Lastly, Elizabeth Banks is present as Paris, a friend of Rome’s who gets the group into the convention. Yes, the group drove to a stripping convention without reserving a slot. Their dedication is remarkable.
The friendships between the main characters are one of its best aspects. They are friends long before they consider themselves coworkers, which made Dallas’ abandonment hurt all the more. Magic Mike XXL takes several moments out of its runtime to slow down the pace and have them just talk to one another, about how they feel about one another and their hopes for what their lives might look like. Mike and Ken have a heart to heart, where they ultimately realize that they were each envious of the other for how they were living their life. How often can we say that about ourselves and the friends we surround ourselves with? These kinds of deep conversations are why I find the Magic Mike trilogy to be an incredible study in stable, fulfilling male relationships. There is nary a hint of toxic masculinity among their friend group.
Magic Mike as a trilogy is more than just about men taking their clothes off. It is a central component of the film (without overt nudity from its male leads, we could never have that), but it is not its main strength. No, that would be the depth of its characters. Their relationships and the lives they lead outside their careers as strippers are far more critical than stripping itself. At nearly two hours long, I highly doubt there are anywhere near twenty minutes of screen time dedicated to musical numbers and appealing men peeling their clothes off. This is probably why its box office numbers were lower than its predecessor. The jig was up, and those who came for the stripping were perhaps sorely disappointed. Everybody who went for the emotional character study was left wanting more, and we were rewarded a cool seven years later with the final entry in the trilogy.
Lloydd Marshall Books 