User reviews

So on the surface this is about some dudes dancing with not much else. However, if you look under the surface and get into the message it's trying to convey you will see that these guys are worshipping women. We are queens, we are beautiful no matter our size. The men worship the women and it's lovely to see. It isn't all sleaze and sex. It's about laughing, comradeship and boosting women. Can't be all bad.

I'll be honest: as a female I just wanted to see beautiful male bodies dancing- that's what I came for, not the plot, not the story line, not even the acting really. Loved seeing Channing work his amazing body!!! A very talented, watchable dancer. Loved the convenience store routine with Joe. Loved the finale scene with Channing and tWitch. There were some good moments and some funny moments here and there. Could it have been better, sure. And by that I mean more dance time- with less clothes on- for Channing, Joe and and Matt. This is why I liked the first one better- at least their pants came off more often! The fact that both movies did well at the box office speaks to the market for more (even better done) movies that showcase male entertainers for the viewing pleasure of women (and men) who appreciate it.

Mike (Channing Tatum) is working his dream of making furniture but he's barely scrapping by. Dallas has left the Kings of Tampa behind and the guys are looking for one last blow-out. Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello), Tarzan (Kevin Nash), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tito (Adam Rodriguez), and MC Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias) are going on a road trip to a convention in Myrtle Beach run by Paris (Elizabeth Banks). When Tobias gets hurt in a crash, Mike recruits Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith) who brings along Andre (Donald Glover). Mike falls for Zoe (Amber Heard) but the guys are joined by her mother Nancy Davidson (Andie MacDowell) and her friends.

I like the first thirty minutes or so. It kept some of the Soderbergh style. I like Manganiello who is very charming and a little funny. I love him in the convenient store. It's the most innocent fun and I wish the movie stays with that feel. The movie should stay with the six guys having misadventures on the road on their way to the big gig. Then it tries to replace Matthew McConaughey with Jada Pinkett Smith. Matthew stole the first movie. Jada seems to be trying to repeat the feat but it's not the same. Then it tries to inject Glover in with the group which only jumbles up the chemistry once again. The Andie MacDowell section is interesting and it would be great as a companion scene to other more humorous scenes. The last thirty minutes is a long series of stripper performances. I'm sure it's orgasmic for middle aged girlfriends drinking their wines but it gets pretty boring for me. I like the first act but the movie loses a little bit of chemistry when it sets aside Iglesias.

90% of this movie begs the question - Why?

Why is the dialogue so drawn out, yet adds nothing to the plot? Why is one boring scene entirely unlit? Why can't Amber Heard make eye contact? Why is Michael Strahan here for 5 minutes? Why barely use Twitch in a movie about dancing? Why are they littering while driving?

I give that 90% of the film 3 stars.

BUT I give Joe Manganiello's dance scenes 10 stars. His performance to "I Think I Wanna Marry You" will be a special memory for the rest of my life. Thank you, Joe.

My suggestion to the viewer is to fast forward directly to the last 30 minutes.

Brimming with a refreshing energy and setting the stage on fire with its erotically charged aura, Magic Mike XXL is a definite improvement over its predecessor that fully embraces its strengths, is well aware of its limitations, and discards almost everything that it can do without to deliver a romp ride that's light, simple & pure delight from beginning to end.

Set 3 years after the events of the first film, Magic Mike XXL finds Mike running his own furniture business like he always wanted but a part of him still misses that old profession. Things are set in motion when he receives a call from his former mates and learns that they've been abandoned by Dallas and plan to bow out with one last performance and decides to join them in their endeavour.

Directed by Gregory Jacobs, Magic Mike XXL trims out everything that stopped the previous film from stretching its arms & legs, and travels a better aligned route. Also, unlike the original, all the subplots head in the same direction as its central storyline, characters get more room to breathe, and there's a sense of history & togetherness in the group's bonding that's genuinely felt in their interactions.

The plot takes the structure of a road trip movie that covers the themes of life, love & friendship as it moves ahead and the music & dance numbers are in perfect harmony with each other and is one key element that makes it blissful on so many levels. Images are more sleek, dance choreography undergoes a major upgrade and it simply packs the right amount of energy & erotica that makes a stripping performance great.

Coming to the performances, the absence of Matthew McConaughey doesn't hurt the film much as his absence is rarely felt. Channing Tatum makes excellent use of the leading spot and contributes with a physically exhausting yet downright seductive performance in his reprising role. Manganiello gets more screen time than before and does well with what he's given while the newcomers are no slouch and ably play their part.

On an overall scale, Magic Mike XXL has XXL times the magic & charisma of its predecessor and is a worthy follow-up by all means. Its simple storytelling & lighthearted flair may not impress those looking for a deeper inspection of the male stripping profession but its testosterone-fuelled atmosphere, lustful moves, beefy allure & surprising evolution into an unabashed celebration of female desire turns it into one of the most enjoyable & entertaining delights of its year.

If you are going to the theater for this movie you have to be aware that you are going to definitely watch a male stripper film.

From my point of view, "Magic Mike XXL" is more superficial than the first "Magic Mike". It focuses too much to male dancing losing part of the deepness that made the first movie a good one to watch.

Although I missed Matthew McConaughey, Channing Tatum is really good at this film with great striptease performances. I would say he is better than in the first one. I have also liked the acting of Amber Heard, though his role is not fully developed in the movie. We can also easily see the chemistry among the guys. On the other hand, the songs and the staging are quite powerful.

To sum up, you will probably spend a good time watching this film, but in few hours you will forget it.

I totally loved the first Magic Mike and the first 5 minutes of XXL looked good too. But after those first 5 minutes....XXL suddenly turned into one long improv show - The sort of improv done by people with fabulous bodies and no sense of humor whatsoever - The sort of improv where audience members shout out topics like "Frozen Yogurt" or "A boring person sits next to you on a bus and just won't shut up." After a while I felt sorry for the actors who seemed to try so hard to come up with something, anything, to say, while growing more and more resentful as in "Hey - we're strippers, not writers. Do we have to do everything?"

And the dancing this time? Yuck. I even felt sorry for the female audience members in the dance sequences. Imagine that you are just out for a fun bachelorette party, when you suddenly find yourself thrust 6 feet in the air with your "bachelorette parts" strapped across some strange guy's face and then the guy starts doing somersaults and cartwheels. Ouch.

I left about 3/4ths of the way through. It was just all too sad.

There is obviously not much of a storyline here, but who the hell cares? These men are absolutely sexy and watching them strip and dance is all anyone really wants to see. I loved the special appearance from Donald Glover and Jada. I was a bit weary as to how this would turn out after McConaughey left, but it really didn't matter!

Also to whoever said that these male strippers are "too old". Well yeah, technically they are all in their late 30s and beyond, but again, who cares? If they look like that at any age, it doesn't matter. Channing Tatum is just amazing, his dance moves and body are pretty much jaw-dropping. The others are great as well. There's really no denying it.

This is a perfect girls night out movie! Don't miss the hotness.

UGH...just saw MM XXL and I left the theater feeling grubby. Look, I'm no prude and I really liked the first Magic Mike and was hoping to see the same kind of guilty pleasure with some good moves. Forget it. These guys just used their nice bodies in a showy, uninteresting way and there was very little classy hot dancing.

It's such a rip off when actors just walk through a movie because it's going to make money. Wait for the DVD if you want to see this. It's corny, sleazy, very little dancing by the guys and a stupid, stupid story line. This movie had no class at all as the first Magic Mike had...that one was good!

Sheesh, I almost walked out about 25 min. into the movie, but then I thought I could not give a solid review if I did. What a waste of my time. I should have gone to Terminator.

I'm not sure how to review this film. The first one was a surprisingly well rounded film about male strippers which was fun but had an undertone of sadness running through it. It wasn't really a film that needed a sequel. But here we are with Magic Mike XXL. those looking for a film to continue the development of the title character's story line will be disappointed as will those looking for the original fun streaks to be supersized. Here we have a film with characters who are somewhat interesting and definitely charismatic but the storytelling lacks any real depth in getting to now who they are. Now I guess that would be fine if it delivered on the other goods. But it doesn't although the dancing is impressive the film lacks the playful sexuality that made the first one so appealing. Instead it plays as an inconsistent underdeveloped comedy of sorts. It's no doubt that the film has charm and the cast is game for some improv work but most of the ramblings feel pointless and the overall execution almost feels dreamlike and directionless. I'd be lying if I didn't say the film had some fun to offer but it's too weighed down by trying to boost up it's own self esteem to find the movie it should have been. **.75/5

Strange it is to pay seven to ten dollars to see a movie about male strippers--and none of them even remove their tee shirts until a so- called "grand finale" at the end. This is when our boys actually strip down to speedos and jock straps. Wow. Channing Tatum, the main star, was all over the media months before the premiere, assuring one and all that this sequel to the highly successful original, "Magic Mike," definitely deserves a "hard X" since it'll show off a lot more of the guys than previously seen. As he winked and smirked, he also promised us he would keep the most handsome of the original strippers, Joe Manganiello, naked as much as possible. Tatum's promises never appeared. Instead, we have nearly two hours of non-stop verbal garbage as the guys ad-lib and we can't understand anything they say since they all swallow their words. In their van they're traveling to Myrtle Beach for a stripper convention and along they way, they have several encounters with women who are so unattractive they're only blurs. Then we come to big stripper event. We're tantalized by seeing other male strippers preparing for the show but we never see them. All we see is a hysterical carnival like routine featuring Tatum, Joe and Matt Bonner. They whirl around, move their hips against women and when they finish, we realize none of our hotties even showed their butts, let alone their joy sticks. Probably the most hideous sequence in the movie that drags on forever is when the guys stop at a plantation to see black strippers but it's all filmed so darkly you can't tell what's happening in the shadows. Poor Jada Pickett Smith. She should definitely grab the Raspberry Award for the Most Horrendous cameo in the movie. This is a movie that could safely play on the Disney Channel but even the kids would be bored out of their skulls.

Is this Shakespeare? No. Is this some boring Oscar winning movie? No. It's just a hot, sexy, hilarious blast. I saw this movie in the theater when it came out, and the whole audience was having a great time. Sometimes, you need something light and sweet! I will say, tho, if you are straight guy, you probably won't like it, because it definitely was not made for you. Enjoy!

I love Channing Tatum and I'd go and watch anything with him in it. I also liked the first Magic Mike movie for what it was - very lightweight entertainment, some hot male bodies, a bit of humour, a bit of a plot line and some great dancing.

This sequel is just grubby, and, well boring. The dancing is minimal. Most of the 'performances' at the end aren't dancing at all. The Andy McDowell house scenes went on and on ... and on, with absolutely no plot purpose and no dancing, so what was the point? And the scenes with the women 'clients' at the Jade Pickett Smith establishment are pretty demeaning to the women. The bumping and grinding on fat women in the movie is clearly meant to show what great 'performers' these strippers are, able to fake it with any desperate female. I'm absolutely no prude, but it all became pretty sickening in the end, and I was just BORED with the whole thing really. Channing, it's time to move on, mate.

Never in a million years would I imagine to end up enjoying a movie about male strippers. Both, the first "Magic Mike" and "Magic Mike XXL" proved me wrong. I loved watching this movie! Like the first one this film is not simply showing a bunch of naked dudes dancing on the screen, it is more of an adventure film.

"Magic Mike XXL" has a very simple, yet very entertaining plot. Even though the movie was over two hours long, it didn't feel too stretched out to me. I kept wanting to watch more and see what this group of guys are going to do next. The tone of the film is perfect. It is not taking itself too seriously, yet I would not call this movie a pure comedy. There are, although, a bunch of moments in the film that made me laugh out loud really hard. Channing is great, but Joe Manganiello was the best for me; he is absolutely hysterical. I am not a fan of male striptease, but for some reason I really enjoyed the actual performance scenes too. The performances are not what you would typically imagine; they are very original and well rehearsed.

Overall a very fun and entertaining movie, regardless if you are a guy or a girl.

Well I'll start by saying I know these are movies about male stripping but I still take them seriously as films. So the first movie had way more stripping which is a common complaint about XXL by most women because you'd think the sequel would have more. However I think the reason is because the first movie was solely about the life of a stripper but XXL is more of an unexpected bro. road trip movie leading up to a stripper convention. The first Magic Mike however had more of a dark direction making it more dramatic and less fun whereas XXL is more vibrant and less dramatic. The main thing lacking from the first film was Amber Heard. The actress in the first film just had no presence on screen and showed no personality whereas Amber Heard is sort of your go to hot blonde perfect for playing these types of characters. I think the fact that there was no sex scene between Amber Heard and Channing or at least some sort of kissing was a waste. Their flirtatious relationship much like the film was lacking something more. I feel it was very much an unnecessary sequel but I can't say I wasn't entertained. It was hilarious and full of hot dudes but the raw and real edginess the first film had is gone. Reminds me of Pitch Perfect 2; one big letdown.

(Rating: ☆ ½ out of 4)

This film is not recommended.

In brief: The filmmakers can adjust their junk the best they can, but junk is still junk, no matter the size.

GRADE: C-

Life is filled with irony. While driving home after seeing the stud dud, Magic Mike XXL, the radio station began playing You Gotta Have a Gimmick from Gypsy, that classic show- tune about strippers. Fate? Coincidence? Bad luck? Whatever, it struck me as a sign of the times. The gimmick was there: The bodies are toned and well oiled. Their moves well choreographed and fluid. Sex is for sale once again in this sequel. Only this time around, the sleaze is on slow-boil and the meat has been tenderized for consumption. The sordidness of male strippers is on the back burner as this film version celebrates the legitimacy of male dancers as a serious art form. Really? This is pure (or impure) fantasy, totally devoid of any reality. With all of its come-ons and dirty dancing (and no frontal nudity), the film never satisfies its intended audience.

Magic Mike XXL is not a serious expose about the sex business as its predecessor purported to be. The first installment tried to show the dirty side of the sex-for-sale business, with its sleazy show biz world on display. Not so here. This sequel is a simple dance movie with lots of sex thrown in. It's more interested in all the right moves, but there's very little reality, plot, or logic. This version has become a road movie as Mike (Channing Tatum) and his buddies, known as the Kings of Tampa, deciding to relive their glory days by putting on one last show, an encore performance to go out in style at a stripper convention in Myrtle Beach.

Dare I say, directed (and I am using the term very loosely) by Gregory Jacobs and written (even more loosely) by Reid Carolin, Magic Mike XXL is silly and naughty fun, especially made for repressed gays or horny females looking for the cheapest of thrills. The film just may be perfect for bachelorette parties too, but as a movie-going experience, it's limp.

The non-direction is the main reason for this erectile dysfunction of a movie. The film lacks any subtlety or good taste with its groping and in-your-crotch shots. The film's salaciousness overpowers any fun. But the film does treat both sexes with equal disdain: men are sexual objects and women are sex crazed nymphs. What a piece of work is man!

The screenplay is an absolute mess. The dialog has an improvisational vibe that is incomprehensible most of the times and stilted the rest of the times. It wants to impress with hip rap, gangster swagger, and non-stop f-bombs, as if to say, "I'm cool", but it all comes across as just plain silly and labored. The story spends too much time meeting various characters that never amount to much. Scenes need judicious cutting and go on endlessly (a visit to a black private club, a meeting with some older repressed Southern ladies, a drug- filled night on the beach).

Most of the choreography (by Alison Faulk) is sexual gyrations and simulated sexual posing, although it is hard to tell what action is being done on stage due to the lousy editing that is too close for comfort and rarely shows off the dance moves and some of the worst photography to be seen in a major studio film: ugly, grainy, out of focus and usually shot in a dinghy yellow-brown hue. Surprisingly, Steven Soderbergh mishandled both duties.

The cast is uneven. Except for Mr. Tatum, who really can dance, Matt Bomer who tries to develop his ill-gotten pretty boy role, and the charismatic Joe Manganiello who truly looks the part, the others boy toys just mill around bonding and getting high or drunk. The most uncomfortable of the lot seems to be Kevin Nash as Tarzan who plays his role more Neanderthal than human. Also adding little to the film except for a winning smile and nice set of abs are Adam Rodriguez as Tito and comedian Gabriel Iglesias in the role as an unfunny stooge named Tobias. However the strangest part of the film is a tawdry cameo by Michael Strahan (of sports and talk show fame). His contribution, a graphic lap dance with an obese woman, is an embarrassment of bad taste that sets back women rights and questions the real motives of the filmmakers and this television personality's dubious career choices. Adding to this debacle are the wasted talents of Addie MacDowell, Elizabeth Banks, Amber Heard, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The dance showdown at the stripper convention peters out really fast (pardon the pun) with no real climax (again, my apologies) as the film follows its predictable conclusion. But there are some dance sequences that do work quite effectively: Channing's all too short scene in his "body" shop, an amusing segment with Mr. Manganiello in a convenience store, and the final dance-off involving mirror images of Channing and Stephen "tWitch" Boss (underused) that become an R-rated version of a So You Think You Can Dance routine. (It makes sense since the choreographer and dancer worked on that television show.)

As that clever song from Gypsy so aptly states: "If you wanna grind it, Wait till you refine it." Magic Mike XXL hits more than its share of bumps than grinds, with no refinement in sight.

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I thought it was funnier and pretty darn ENTERTAINING.Beginning starts out a bit corny.

I liked how the group all does INDIVIDUAL dances at the big convention.

I thought it had a pretty good story line. I will see again next on the big 55" television. No one better be talking except asking if I need a refill.

Guys get guns and violence. Women sometimes want raw & dirty. LOL. Don't let hating men spoil your fun, trust me it was worth a theater outing. Try not to drool to much on the way home.

Did I mention how hot Manganello is ! That's a wrap.

The only negative I had with this movie was the Tito character- his hair was horrible and I just didn't find his dancing that good. Tarzan's wasn't good either but hey I give him a break bc it's freakin Kevin Nash... I just finished watching this on HBO and I must say I'm tempted to purchase the DVD. Although I don't find him very sexy my opinion is quickly changed when Channing Tatum danced in 2 Particular scenes in this. His performance at the "pleasure house" had me wishing I was one of those women he danced on (OMG). Then there's the finale with him and Twitch (I have to pause and gather myself bc I found Twitch to b soooo Sexy in this, I mean his body is banging and Mmm can that man dance). Probably one of the sexiest scenes I've seen in awhile PERIOD. Although I don't care for that particular type of RnB (present day mostly) it worked perfectly in those 2 scenes because the bass was knocking, it just added to the overall sexy ass environment... I'm 27 and I've never been to a strip club, now I'm not sure I want to bc I'm afraid the talent won't b as Amazing as Channing or Twitch lol...

2012's Magic Mike wasn't exactly about the stripping. Sure, it features a lot of it, but the real center of the movie was the lifestyle of its main character, Mike. This latest installment showcases more of the crew and how they put up the show. It's more choreography driven than some commentary, which actually made it more appropriate to this material. It still has the stunning style of the first one, though it mostly feels quite forced, but if the movie tries to be itself, then there it actually shines. Magic Mike XXL indeed brings much of what you expect from it.

While the first movie basically shows the art of its aesthetics, this sequel rather shows the art of stripping. The story isn't quite remarkable; it's so simple that it's nothing more than an excuse to show more of these acts, which is both a good thing and otherwise. But really, that's what the target audience really came here for. Just like the first one, it's all atmosphere than following a plot. We just see these characters trying to get along, hint some commentary, and do some stripping. The difference however is the stripping is the real showcase, as in the direction and choreography improves within that aspect which makes these performances speak what this movie is truly about. People would immediately think that this would only appeal female viewers, but even as a straight man as I am, I would actually be impressed by the choreography displayed on those scenes.

The direction does try to keep Soderbergh's style going in this sequel, though only eschewing the intense sepia and welcoming other colors on the daylight. The new style is sometimes indefinite, specifically the vague lighting in some scenes, but then, the movie eventually breaks the pretense once the characters start dancing on screen, having more focus on their moves, and of course, bodies. Star, Channing Tatum, still has the charm as he always has. The other performers also get their characters expanded, staying natural whenever they bond and fight off on screen, treating them beyond than typical eye candy compared to the first one.

Many may call Magic Mike XXL a totally needless sequel or a cash grab for those who seek for more endless dose of shirtless men, but I believe this movie actually exists to make up for its own value. The story may not be as meaty as its predecessor's, but it shows everything what its audiences actually wanted for it. And it is done elegantly, proving that stripping apparently has more to offer than just lust for flesh. It sounds incredibly weird if you say it that way, but looking at these performances seems like this is an art that we didn't see coming. Again, there's nothing remarkable about the story, though if you're curious about the appeal of this career, then it gives a room for fascination.

I liked the first Magic Mike, I liked it a lot. I found it funny and interesting. It was entertaining. I thought that Channing Tatum was a really good dancer and, while watching, I regretted of not being a male stripper myself (beautiful life, lot of girls, you know…).

But this one is terrible. Boring, depressing… I wonder who could really like it: girls? I doubt it. Men? Not a chance.

I won't tell a word about the plot, as IMDb warns me not to do it. I will only state my disappointment for the lack of an entertaining story, a catching character or a good show. A terrible wasting of good actors and time.

Magic Mike XXL doesn't have an enticing storyline and I couldn't care less. It is all about female pleasure and friendship of the modern man.

It is about supporting each other in times of need and cheering each other on, it's about finding your true self, it's about fighting and being friends again, it's about being comfortable with closeness and being open with emotions, it's about having sex and being friends, it's about finding the right one, it's about empowering women and their desires, it's about women of all skin colors, sizes and ages, it's about having a good time.

I went to see the first movie with no expectations and really liked it, especially that it had some darker themes. The sequel is very different and much more of a "feel-good movie" and I don't just like it, I love it. When I went to see this movie, no one left the theater disappointed.

Channing Tatum saw the trend that women do want sex and devour media even if it's trash (50 shades obviously), because there's nothing else out there. He gave us a movie that celebrates women, and men who are open-minded and supportive. Magic Mike XXL is very much a product of its time in the best possible way. If this is what it feels like to get channinged all over my tatum, I gladly want more.