If you so much as utter the title "Magic Mike," you're bound to garner giggles.
Don't play dumb; you know I'm referring to "the male-stripper movie" that has many girls talking, tweeting and making shirts that say "Take it off, Tatum" (referring to the film's star, Channing Tatum).
Oddly enough, "Magic Mike" approaches its subject matter with the same endearing, playful innocence. Like the title character, it has scanty clothes strewn about, but heart in the right place.
Inspired by Tatum's former life as a stripper, the film is more of a low-key character study than a macho spectacle. The stripping is an embodiment of the characters' vulnerability rather than a mere act of exploitation. It's a loud physical representation of the young man's thrust into the real world. (Who said they lead lives of quiet desperation?)
Although he is the most talented dancer in his troupe, Mike is the least interested in stripping. He daydreams of crafting custom furniture while training his prot+â-¬g+â-¬ Adam (Alex Pettyfer), who simply cannot think of anything better to do. It's here that the film reveals an unsettling truth: when all else fails, people turn to their bodies - an issue to which both genders can relate.
In many ways, "Magic Mike" is both a product and an indictment of our image-obsessed culture. Just open an issue of In Touch magazine and you will see how that obsession is growing.
But like its stripping scenes, the film telegraphs its message gently and with subtlety. That figures considering it's directed by Steven Soderbergh, the man behind such classy cinematic treats as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Haywire." His intentions with this film are clear in where he focuses the camera - on the strippers' wide eyes rather than their glistening abs.
Both the dancers and their viewers gaze with childlike wonder - appropriate direction from Soderbergh considering Reid Carolin's screenplay focuses on youthful innocence and naivety rather than sexual desire.
While the female characters' gaze is one of sweet, playful indulgence, the film thankfully never commits the double standard of making the men's advances more predatory (although that is probably, unfortunately accurate).
As you can see, "Magic Mike" subverts every expectation set by its marketing as an all-out "sleazefest." Yes, it still has nudity, but it also has something the trailers don't show - emotional depth and societal truths. It is but one of many recent films that mirror the New Hollywood movement of the '60s and '70s, which consisted of gritty, radical dramas disguised as genre crowd-pleasers. ("The Dark Knight Rises" is bound to be an even better reflection of that movement.)
Don't worry. Although the film may sound self-important and pretentious in comparison to its trailers, it is still mighty fun, infused with the kind of breezy atmosphere only Soderbergh could create. The soundtrack is infectiously spirited. The dance scenes are dazzling and magnetic. Tatum is charming and sympathetic. And Matthew McConaughey is particularly entertaining as the shady strip club manager.
All in all, "Magic Mike" is one of the summer's best films. It's like Mike himself - a sweet, sensitive artist trapped in the body of a jock. Or, if you like, it's a strip show for the soul.
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