There's more to Magic Mike than penis pumps

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It never really worked out for Matthew McConaughey in the leading-man department, but he has gradually morphed into a first-rate character actor. He has an unforgettable blast as a monstrously self-involved strip-club owner and, in his few scenes on screen, helps crystallize Steven Soderbergh’s sheer love of movie-making—more evident when he isn’t making message flicks, like Traffic and Contagion.

In Magic Mike, one of the director’s loosest efforts since 1998’s Out of Sight, events centre on a flashy Tampa, Florida, venue that’s home to a bevy of male strippers. Their obvious leader is the eponymous Mike, played by Channing Tatum, another actor sporting surprises. He is frequently cast as stoic soldiers, although his turn in 21 Jump Street demonstrated a comic flair, and here he shows unexpected ease with what often sounds like improvised dialogue.

The screenplay by Reid Carolin (who also has a small part) is reportedly based on aspects of Tatum’s early career, taking it off for the lay-deez. It hits the usual he’s-not-living-as-large-as-he-thinks plot points, especially when Mike takes 19-year-old Adam (22-year-old Englishman Alex Pettyfer) into the fold and starts wondering about the kid’s slightly bitter older sister, played well by Cody Horn. (Her father is head of Warner Brothers, but that’s probably not how you get into a Steven Soderbergh movie.)

This effortlessly stylish entertainment isn’t really about anyone’s redemption, and it doesn’t have much to say about people who wear buttless chaps and use penis pumps. It’s about atmosphere and the collision of personalities, with massive set pieces alternating easily with highly naturalistic scenes featuring fast, overlapping dialogue, backed by almost no music except what’s being played for or by the participants. Especially notable among the many supporting players is Olivia Munn as a party girl who, like Vera Farmiga’s character in Up in the Air, isn’t prepared to help the magical anti-hero drive out his inner cad.

Watch the trailer for Magic Mike.