Magic Mike
Release Date:
June 29, 2012
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 139/169 |
Max Braden |
Why is there all this bending over in front of the camera? Do women find that hot? This is a very poor-man's Boogie Nights. |
Steven Soderbergh will never be accused of becoming too conventional. Over the past few years, he has built an entire film around a porn star, turned an MMA champion into an action hero and placated Matt Damon’s massive ego on multiple film productions. Despite all this, Magic Mike is poised to be the quirkiest film of his career…well, mainstream career anyway.
Imagine Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash (?) and Matthew McConaughey naked. For some of you, this will not be the first time for several of them. Now imagine a movie based upon this premise. Yes, the magic in Magic Mike is male stripping. Tatum plays the titular lead (note that titular is not a dirty term although I’m confident it sounds like one in this particular discussion), a guy who works hard to entertain the ladies. All he asks in return is that they fill his banana hammock with lots of singles. Mikey gotta eat.
While you may immediately dismiss this concept as too absurd to excel at the box office, I would remind you that Sex and the City has created a dynamic opportunity in the marketplace. Women have been positively reinforced as consumers in a way that encourages them to continue having ladies night at the movie theater. Magic Mike is a perfect film in this regard, offering the titillation of Eyes Wide Shut but without the skeevy aspect involving perverted old men. Do not be surprised if the male stripper movie tears up the box office. (David Mumpower/BOP)
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