three-sentence review: Magic Mike

[iphignia939]

Magic Mike: Actually better than I thought it was going to be, if still mostly beefcake with a surprisingly strong story. Not a single guy in my theater. That said:

Simon Halls, you are the LUCKIEST MOTHERFUCKER ON EARTH.

Comments

[eatsscissors]

I was incredibly impressed. Channing Tatum has been on a steady uphill climb with his performances for about two years now, but that was far and away his best yet. He's learned how to do some fairly subtle things with his eyes, on top of the surprising comedic timing he first showed in 21 Jump Street. I really thought I was just going to be watching a dumb summer movie of hot men gyrating, but there was a story there. (And Pettyfer showed some talent, too, which I didn't see coming. I left the theater rooting for someone to kick his ass before he got himself killed.)

[iphignia939]

Yes! I sort of--God help me, between 21JS and this, I really, really like Channing Tatum. (I wish they'd stop putting him in romantic comedies, mostly because I think they're less his thing than quiet dramatic acting and humor. The guy needs to be a comedic actor, for real.) And Pettyfer! You know he's just going to keep fucking up until something really *bad* happens, but you just--want him to not have that happen? Because he's not a bad guy! He's just 19 and pretty and sort of dumb! But you can also tell that those bad things are going to keep happening, because he's not in a place to work his shit out yet and--

AAAAAAAAAAGH I DID NOT MEAN TO HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT A STRIPPER MOVIE. FIRED, SODERBERGH.

[eatsscissors]

Adam's not consciously selfish or manipulative the way that Dallas is, but you get the feeling that no one has ever let him fall on his ass before (Brooke's "I can't do this anymore" certainly didn't suggest that it was the first time she'd found him a drug-induced stupor), and now he's running in a world where jail or hospitalization would be the LUCKY outcomes.

AAAAAAAAAAGH I DID NOT MEAN TO HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT A STRIPPER MOVIE. FIRED, SODERBERGH.

I KNOW I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AND AM NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT.