The Big Picture

• Magic Mike XXL shifts from a serious tone to a joyous adventure, focusing on male stripper camaraderie.
• The sequel drives the plot through spectacle & creativity, avoiding divisive masculinity, emphasizing unity.
• Magic Mike XXL celebrates male entertainers and their personal growth through comedic performances.

Magic Mike XXL is everything that the first Magic Mike film wasn’t. Audiences who walked into 2012’s original Magic Mike expecting a straightforward raunchy stripper comedy should have known better than to trust that Steven Soderbergh had something that simple up his sleeve. While there are plenty of amusing moments throughout Magic Mike, the film felt closer in tone to 1970s character dramas than something like Striptease or Rough Night. Soderbergh’s mature, understated study of the immediate ramifications of the financial crisis explored the desperate options that working class people had to go to in order to provide for themselves, and displayed the world of male entertainment in a startling realistic way. It's a film that showed us a side of Channing Tatum we hadn't seen before. By comparison, Magic Mike XXL ditches these more serious implications in favor of a joyous road trip adventure.

Steven Soderbergh decided to pass the directorial reigns for Magic Mike XXL to his longtime collaborator Gregory Jacobs, whose direct sequel picked up shortly after the showcase end performance at the end of the first film. While the first Magic Mike was interested in the real-world ramifications of the economic crisis, it wasn’t exploitative of male sexuality. In fact, the community that Mike finds among his fellow strippers is the only sense of purpose that he finds in his difficult life. Magic Mike XXL then celebrates these men for their creativity, comradery, and compassion as they use their skills to spread joy and become tighter as a unit. The lack of story is why the film is so effective, as there is room for all types of adventures within the framework of a straightforward road trip adventure. The result is one of the most gleefully entertaining sequels in recent memory that’s totally distinct from its predecessor.

'Magic Mike XXL' Is Driven By Spectacle, Not Plot

In Magic Mike XXL, Mike (Channing Tatum) has left the world of performing in favor of starting his own construction business, but he receives a message from his long-time co-performer Tarzan (Kevin Nash) that their friend, mentor, and leader Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) is “gone.” While he expects to simply reunite with his old pals under tragic circumstances, Mike is instead invited to join the remaining Kings of Tampa crew for a competition at the Myrtle Beach male stripping convention. The heightened state of kinetic energy is a direct result of the plot’s loose framework. Mike and the Kings of Tampa are only given a narrow window of a single weekend to get to the competition, perform their best work, and then return to their normal lives. This allows Mike to make a quick decision early on. There’s only a few brief scenes where he considers his decision, but they’re effective enough in explaining his initial reluctance. However, when "Pony" by Ginuwine pops on the radio while Mike is in his toolshed, he’s immediately reminded of the joy he felt during his performances. After delivering an impromptu performance for no one but himself, Mike realizes that the competition will satisfy him far more than any sense of personal normalcy.

The “Pony” dance is essential in establishing the film’s goal, and explaining the plotlessness. Magic Mike XXL is a film about constantly topping the last spectacle. Interestingly, the film was released the same summer as Mad Max: Fury Road, a similar sequel in which constant momentum and increasing spectacle is more important than having an intricate plot. Each new location that the Kings of Tampa stop by offers them a new chance to show off their craft. Mike offers a challenge to the group early on to come up with new routines, which forces them to become more creative in their approach.

Even though some of these dance sequences are seemingly “inessential” to the plot and don’t relate to the upcoming competition, they’re essential in defining the characters and emphasizing that they’re here to spread joy, not cause chaos. In one of the earliest moments, Mike is reminded of each of his co-performers' skillsets when they all perform together in a drag club. In perhaps the most memorable sequence, Mike encourages Richie (Joe Manganiello) to give an impromptu performance of “I Want It That Way” in a gas station. He performs a ridiculous, cheeto-filled routine in the middle of a nearly deserted rest stop, but it’s all for the intent of getting the cashier to smile.

'Magic Mike XXL' Avoids Tired Toxic Masculinity Tropes

Although the film relies on the crew constantly topping their last performance, it doesn’t turn into an overtly competitive environment in which these men are bickering amongst themselves. In fact, they’re only trying to work together as a stronger unit, and so there’s more importance in working out their differences in order to make the collective group stronger. It’s a film about self-improvement and empathy – a healthier approach to masculinity – and we see a few touching moments in which these men show their genuine compassion for each other.

Initially, Mike begins to have some quarrels with Ken (Matt Bomer), but swears to solve the situation before it devolves into anything bitter. By asking Ken to get out his aggression in a single moment, Magic Mike XXL parodies the violent manner in which men usually solve their problems in film. Ken’s reluctance and dissatisfaction at having to attack Mike is a clever bit of commentary on toxic masculinity, and it’s made even more hilarious thanks to Bomer’s hilarious reactions. Similarly, Mike’s flirtations with his new love interest Zoe (Amber Heard) are earnest and respectful. There are a few raunchy jokes, but never at the expense of either character in a discriminatory or exploitative manner.

Though Different, 'Magic Mike XXL' Pairs Well With the Original Film

Although it seems like it’s just a scattershot collection of different moments that don’t have a real connection to each other, the final competition sequence itself explores how the journey itself has inspired each of these performers to reflect on their lives and express themselves in a creative way. Richie has learned to be more sincere as a result of Mike’s guidance, and so his last dance is a wedding-themed ceremony. This is predated by a gorgeous cover of “Marry You” by the group’s new accomplice Andre (Donald Glover), who is recruited by the Kings of Tampa in a seemingly superfluous experience early on.

Magic Mike XXL is one of the most experimental sequels in recent memory, but it serves as a perfect double feature with its predecessor. While the first Magic Mike was aimed at humanizing male performers and exploring the constraints that they faced, Magic Mike XXL allows them to indulge in their fantasies in a joyous, non-toxic way. It’s a positive, energetic, and inspiring free-spirited adventure that can’t be shackled by the parameters of a complicated story.

Magic Mike XXL is currnently streaming on Hulu in the U.S.

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