There are two types of people going to see MAGIC MIKE XXL: those who are really into seeing Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello strip their clothes and the significant others of those people. While the first film was a surprising hit and garnered pretty good reviews thanks to the direction of Steven Soderbergh, MAGIC MIKE XXL will be the directorial debut of MAGIC MIKE first assistant director Greg Jacobs. Soderbergh stayed on as cinematographer and editor while screenwriter Reid Carolin returned and co-wrote with star Channing Tatum.
While the first teaser didn’t share much about the plot, this full trailer sheds more light on the story which feels like a cross between your typical road movie and the STEP UP films. The big difference here is the “dancing” is just called stripping.
Picking up the story three years after Mike (Channing Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.
I tolerated the first MAGIC MIKE but it didn’t strike me as anything special. Aside from seeing Olivia Munn naked, MAGIC MIKE felt like one of Soderbergh’s weaker movies. MAGIC MIKE XXL doesn’t offer any incentive for the average movie-goer to sit through it unless you really like seeing male strippers.
MAGIC MIKE XXL stars Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Gabriel Iglesias, Amber Heard, Donald Glover, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, and Michael Strahan. It opens in theaters on July 1st.