Movie Review: 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' Excites With Showmanship, Drama
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The Magic Mike series has come a long way since the 2012 movie, which was inspired by Channing Tatum's experiences as a stripper before he became an actor.
Magic Mike's Last Dance , which hits theaters this Friday, is the perfect blend of Tatum's dance moves and spectacle.
Mike lost his furniture business during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is the perfect way to prepare for a new opportunity. While bartending at a party thrown by Maxandra (Salma Hayek Pinault), a guest tells her about Mike's first job.
Max talks Mike into a last dance, but it's so good he encourages him to go back to London, where he owns a theatre. Max makes Mike's address a dance show, challenging him and complicating their romance.Mike's private dance for Max convinces audiences that there's more juice in this franchise, too. He begins by reorganizing the space for his performance and then tests the tools that protect him.
Tatum, like Mike, really turns her on, getting close enough to Max to be intimate but never kissing or making contact. You go through the motions of sex together, and you see how he gives Max the release he needs in a way that is both physically and emotionally safe.
Haye plays the sexual role of Ginger Rogers. She also dances a bit, but she interacts sensually rather than complementing Tatum's choreography.
Mike and Max sleep together and it's honest. Mike doesn't do this to every client and Max keeps Mike in the dark about his plans until he takes him to the theatre.
The result is a fairly standard "performance show" story, but set where film dancers follow the moves fans saw in the first two films.
The dancers Mike brings with him to London are amazing. They never become the characters behind the scenes, but they do their fantastic design.
During auditions and rehearsals, the show takes shape. Mike isn't on the show, but he's yet to come around to show the newbies how it's done.
With Max's radical new idea, Max and Mike are challenged to overcome obstacles. They wear as much makeup as possible, and luckily some of them wear makeup while dancing.
The challenges in Max and Mike's relationship are less obvious. Max has a history of unfinished business, and his impending divorce is complicated by a prenuptial agreement.
Mike supports snobs in London and meets Max's daughter Zadie (Jamelia George). Zadie is suspicious of her mother's new game, but Max's servant Victor (Ayub Khan Dean) seems more disapproving.
The presentation that Mike puts on is really clever. She has something to say about feminism and desire, all with some epic dance numbers.
Last Dance is Mike's one-man show. We got close to the four dancers from the previous two movies, and luckily they seem to be doing well, but we miss them.
It's called Magic Mike's Last Dance, but instead of wrapping up the trilogy, it could be Fast Five that takes the franchise in a bold new direction. Magic Mike could become a series in which Mike adds new members to his company and creates more and more ambitious shows with each sequel.
Fred Tobel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a critic for Rotten Tomatoes since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Learn more about his work in entertainment.
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