On Friday night I went with one of my BFFs to see "Magic Mike XXL." I think we've both been looking forward to this since the credits rolled on "Magic Mike" three years ago.
*SPOILER ALERT! Do not keep reading if you do not want to know any specifics about the plot of this movie.*
When the movie opens, we learn that our boy Magic Mike is still living in Tampa, FL and that he is finally running his own furniture design business. He and the blondie have split up, so when his old crew calls and leaves him a message that they are back in town, he heads over to meet them at their hotel.
The old crew - Tarzan, Ken Doll, Dick, Tito and Tobias - beg Mike to join them on their trip to the annual stripper convention. It's explained that Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) and the Kid (Alex Pettyfer) have left the group and taken their act overseas.
Mike spends the night mulling it over. He's working on a project in his wood shop when his old solo song "Pony" comes on the radio (all the girls in the theater screamed at the sound of the first few notes). He gets the itch to move to the music and starts gyrating, swinging from poles, dancing on tables and just kind of blowing our minds. Sigh.
Ready to rejoin the group, Mike and the boys head from Tampa to Myrtle Beach in a food truck. One of my favorite scenes in the entire movie happens on the road trip. Mike convinces Dick (Joe Manganiello) to toss out his fireman routine and go for something more authentic. To prove to Dick that he can make any girl smile, Mike challenges him to wow a sour looking gas station clerk. What happens next involves Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," Cheetos and a bottle of water.
While on the road, the boys also stop in Savannah, GA where Mike reunites with an old boss (and old flame) played by Jada Pinkett Smith. She runs a high end strip club that has two very famous dancers - Twitch (from "So You Think You Can Dance") and Michael Strahan!
Their second to last stop before the convention is Charleston, SC where a very horny Andie McDowell has the best night of her life.
Once in Myrtle Beach, the boys (with the help of Jada and Twitch) refresh every single one of their routines. They each decide on a new dance that plays to their personal passions - painting for Tarzan, ice cream for Tito, serenading for Ken Doll, etc.
The final thirty minutes of the movie are comprised of five dance routines and I was smiling so wide the entire time I thought my face was going to break! The grand finale was a duet - Mike and Twitch - and the entire theater was screaming, clapping, hooting and hollering.
Overall, my feeling about "Magic Mike XXL" is the same feeling I had about the first movie - too much talking, not enough dancing. There were so many unnecessary scenes in the first thirty minutes. Despite that, the movie ends on such a high note that you don't even care.
You'll also definitely want to download the entire soundtrack which includes 112, R. Kelly, Jodeci, D'Angelo, Childish Gambino, Bruno Mars, Nine Inch Nails and more.
Tell me, did you see "Magic Mike XXL" this weekend? Did you like it as much as the first one? Better?
