7 surprising things to love about Magic Mike XXL

July 16 2015

This week, three of my favourite girlfriends and I had a mid-week gals night and went to see the Magic Mike sequel; Magic Mike XXL.

What happened in the original flick?

Not sure. My lasting impression was that it deserved to go in the category of ‘movies equally as good with the tv on mute’. It was Channing Tatum, Alcide (Joe Manganiello) and Neil Caffrey (Matt Bomer) bumping and grinding to sexually suggestive songs in a showing that was equal parts awkward and visual delight.

magic-mike

Magic Mike Volume 1: plenty to see here through your cringing.

My expectations were firmly managed for the sequel.

I was thinking it was a good excuse to see the girls, have a gossip and turn a hot dog dinner into a variety improper phallic references. Yet somehow, Magic Mike XXL and it’s (admittedly weak) plot turned out to be a kinda great celebration of women.

What’s happening here? Are you trying to find a deeper meaning in a male stripper movie?

In a word, yes.

Unlike the original, the sequel’s got some substance!  Warning: some kinda-but-not-totally-tell-you-everything spoilers coming.

Here’s 7 ways it surprised me:

1. It isn’t a love story 

Don’t get me wrong, I love a rom-com… but there was something refreshing and excellent about not being dished one up on the presumption that’s what a female audience wants. There’s chemistry, and a brief hint of a will-they-or-won’t-they storyline, but its not pursued. No love to see here, moving on!

magic mike xxl spin

2. It’s honest about women. 

The movie frames itself as a boys road trip for ‘one last stripping adventure’, yet at each stop along the way the story considers the modern day paradox of what it is to be a woman. Yes, it’s possible that women want romance and love and sweetness and also hot animalistic sex. Yes, it’s possible to have a gaggle of tipsy, rich, middle-aged divorcees keen to capitalise on the opportunity presented by the surprise arrival of 5 male strippers at their girls night. It’s also possible that each of those women is both confident and insecure, healed and broken, happy and sad.

3. The boss character is an independent, assertive, lady! 

Lean In, baby! Jada Pinkett Smith stars as Rome, the owner and supreme ruler of Georgian mansion/club, packed to the rafters with ladies who have come for male entertainment.

magic-mike-xxl-jada

Magic Mike XXL: Jada Pinkett Smith is Rome

Rome is not power-hungry or a man hater. She is bold and confident and refers to the women wherever she goes as ‘Queens’ who she claims are ‘here to be worshipped!’. She also likes boys and girls as we later discover when Elizabeth Banks appears for a scene or two.

4. It’s inclusive. 

This movie celebrates women of all kinds. All sizes, shapes, colours and sexualities are cast in this movie.

5. It’s stereotype-free 

Despite what is clearly purposefully diverse extras casting, Magic Mike XXL refrains from taking cheap shots by using demographic characteristics as part of the story line. Women are not sexualised. Women are not the butt of any jokes. There are no one dimensional characters: the hot girl, the funny girl, the fat girl, the nerd, the mother, the girlfriend, the wife – they don’t exist in this movie. There is no misogyny. There is no ogling. There isn’t even a hint of a double take. It’s just a whole lotta different types of women who get celebrated – and never judged – for having desire.

6. It is about pleasure.  

50 shades of grey this movie is not; there is no notion that pleasure comes through pain, there will be no debate over whether what we’ve watched is domestic violence or erotica.

This movie is about what women want. Says one of Rome’s team of entertainers, Andre: ‘…these girls have to deal with men in their lives who every day, they don’t listen to them. They don’t ask them what they want. All we gotta do is ask them what they want and when they tell you, it’s a beautiful thing, man.’

MMXXL paints women as deserving of attention and adoration and opens the door for a conversation about what really gives women pleasure… I’ve read one article this week that used MMXXL as an intro to discuss the statistically elusive female orgasm, concluding with an emotional call-to-action that women ‘demand their O!’. I buy into this: the media, hollywood, entertainment as a whole doesn’t make a habit of discuss women’s sexuality and desire in correlation with what it it really is, nor does society teach us that female pleasure is as important as males – apparently only 57% of women report having an orgasm nearly or every time they have sex. Perhaps once we get this damn pay gap sorted we can tackle the remnants of the gender pleasure gap.

I digress! My point here is that to the surprise of both me and seemingly the wider internet community, MMXXL does a bang-up job of tackling the taboos of female sexuality and is underwritten by an all-too-infrequent notion that women should not be ashamed of their bodies, nor their desires.

7. It doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Just when I’ve got you to thinking MMXXL is a historic piece of feminist cinema that will go down in history (hey, maybe it will!) I better let you down gently. Magic Mike has its fair share of dumb. The road trip predominantly takes place in a frozen yoghurt van, there’s plenty of swearing, recreational drug use that in no way enhances the ‘plot’, and a few scenes that leave you going ‘oh mann this is baaaad.’

But you’re absolutely guarenteed a big belly laugh. Sometimes for the solid comedic moments, sometimes because it’s unapologetically camp, daggy or dumb and sometimes for the purely awkward and giggle-enducing notion of watching really ripped men strip. However you cut it, lols ahoy! Just try to get through the trailer without crackin’ a grin:

 

I won’t pretend that this movie is for everyone… it’s a stripper movie! There will be no Oscar nominations. Like it’s predecessor, it can still be enjoyed on mute. But if you do turn up the volume you may just be pleasantly surprised like I was.

A sublime find of the lady-entertainment kind? I say yes! If you’ve been on the fence about MMXXL, I’d love for this post to be your excuse to go and take in a good dose of exceptionally chisled male abs under the guise of feminist feel-good. It’ll deliver on both fronts!

Have you seen MMXXL? Did you like it? Tell us below in the comments! 

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