Film review: Magic Mike XXL

Mike’s back in the spotlight
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Jul 2015, 15:00 BST
Magic Mike XX: CHANNING TATUM as Mike and MATT BOMER as KenMagic Mike XX: CHANNING TATUM as Mike and MATT BOMER as Ken
Magic Mike XX: CHANNING TATUM as Mike and MATT BOMER as Ken

Loosely inspired by lead actor Channing Tatum’s experiences as a stripper, Magic Mike was a cautionary tale of ambition and greed set in a Tampa Bay male nude revue bar, punctuated by high-energy crotch-thrusting dance solos.

Made for a paltry 7million US dollars, Steven Soderbergh’s film turned a tidy profit at the box office, sowing the seeds for this well-oiled sequel.

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Soderbergh has vacated the director’s chair, replaced by Gregory Jacob, but most of the main cast are back in their skimpy underwear except for Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and British actor Alex Pettyfer.

Magic Mike XXL unfolds three years after events of the first film. Mike (Channing Tatum) and his fellow dancers Ken (Matt Bomer), Richie (Joe Manganiello), Tarzan (Kevin Nash) and Tito (Adam Rodriguez) have been at the top of their pelvis-thrusting game for too long and the end is nigh for the Kings of Tampa.

The gang decides to bow out in style with a final performance in Myrtle Beach.

En route to this emotional farewell, the men make a detour to Savannah to visit Mike’s old stomping ground: the Domina private club run by the sassy businesswoman Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith). The club’s headliners
Andre (Donald Glover), Augustus (Michael Strahan) and Malik (Stephen Boss), put on a great show and convince the Kings of Tampa that they need to learn some new moves to impress the crowds. Amber Heard and Elizabeth Banks co-star.