Hollywood Product: Magic Mike

GENRE: Drama

THE PITCH: Mike (Channing Tatum) a small jobs entrepreneur by day - male stripper by night inducts Adam (Alex Pettyfer), a clueless college washout into the shameless but gratifying world of a male stripper. But “Magic Mike” has aspirations beyond exotic dancing that take hold after meeting Adam’s sister Brooke (Cody Horn).

MONEY SHOT: This is a film about male erotic dancers so its no surprise the most impressive scenes involve stripping. Frustrated with club owner Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), Magic defies Dallas and performs a new act on stage. Dressed in black cargo fatigues and a vest, he whips the women in the club (and in the theater I may add) to a lusty frenzy.

BEST LINE: A successful night at the club ends with oral sex for Adam. Before dropping Adam off for the night, Mike asks, “... So how pregnant did you get that girl’s mouth?”

WORST LINE: Mike goes to the bank seeking to secure a small business loan. After the representative enters his information into her computer, she awkwardly frowns and begins to stammer about the state of business. With a determined look Mike says, “You press buttons and you think you know something about me, but you don’t know me.”

DRY HUMPING: In front of a mirror, Dallas teaches Adam the art of male erotic dancing. Starting with the basics for gyrating, Dallas wearing mini shorts stands directly behind Adam and mirrors his crotch thrusting sexual movements. Its a weird, uncomfortable asexual moment overall.

SKIN FACTOR: Most of the nude scenes take place in two places: the strip club and the bedroom and overwhelmingly male gratuitous shots. Number of male ass shots: 6. Number of female ass shots: 4. Number of breast shots: 4.

BOTTOM LINE: Describing a fictional account of Tatum’s purported exotic dancing past, Mike attempts to reveal more beneath the surface of its central character but instead exposes a bare and uninteresting story.

Context is missing as the plot initially attempts to draw some sustainable interest in this “stripper with a heart of gold” yet the results are so mediocre it becomes a bit repetitive and boring. Writer Reid Carolin’s script trips over itself as its leads, sans the monotonous “Big Tex” appeal of McConaughey, struggle to bring some weight to the screen but limited focus and an underutilized cache of talented supporting cast leaves the audience with nothing to hold on to. Ladies looking for a cheap thrill will definitely get their monies worth as the “Cock Rocking Kings of Tampa” take the stage, so enjoy the gratuitous show but leave any other expectations at the door.