Magic Mikeis set to debut on Netflix on September 1. The 2012 drama, which was written by Reid Carolin and directed by Steven Soderbergh, stars Channing Tatum in the title role as Mike Lane, a Tampa-based stripper who dreams of owning a furniture business. The movie is inspired by Tatum’s own later teenage years working at a Florida strip club, though the character and the scenario are fictionalized. The cast features a robust ensemble that includes Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Matt Bomer, Riley Keough, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, and Gabriel Iglesias.
TheChanning Tatum movie, which spawned an entireMagic Miketrilogy, was well-received at the time, both critically and commercially. At the time of writing, the movie holdsa Certified Fresh score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also a smash box office hit, grossing $167.2 million worldwide against a small budget of just $7 million. This made it the 48th highest-grossing movie of the year, outgrossing other 2012 movies includingParanormal Activity 4,Step Up Revolution,Zero Dark Thirty,Pitch Perfect, andMoonrise Kingdom.
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Did You Know:Captain America: Brave New Worldstar Anthony Mackie later revealed that he tried to get a role inMagic Mike.
Magic Mike
Cast
Loosely based on the real experiences of Channing Tatum, Magic Mike is a comedy/drama film by director Steven Soderbergh and written by Reid Carolin. Channing Tatum stars as Michael “Magic Mike” Lane, an entrepreneur, hustler, and professional exotic dancer living in Tampa, FL. When Mike takes on a new protege to show him the hustling life, Mike’s world seems to be on track the way he wants- until a fateful encounter with another dancer’s sister has him re-evaluating his life.
While it seems like thepossibleMagic Mike 4may never happen, it is always a good idea to catch up with the original 2012 movie. While it delivers on the steaminess promised by its premise and its ad campaign, there is a lot on its mind in addition to presenting quite a few performances from male exotic dancers. The movie ispresented with director Steven Soderbergh’s typical genre-bending flair, toeing the line between blue collar drama, workplace comedy, romance, and dance movie, seemingly effortlessly.
The performance that bringsChanning Tatum’s Magic Miketo life is also undeniable. Tatum’s real-life experiences inform the dramatic side of the role perfectly, buthis skill as a dancer also shines through, as it has any time he has been asked to perform choreography onscreen in movies as varied asStep UpandHail, Caesar!. The supporting cast is also packed with familiar faces, many of whom would go on to greater fame and are thus intriguing to revisit in this earlier phase of their careers.
The movie also boasts an unforgettable soundtrack, which reinterprets a range of songs from the classic to the cheesy including “Pony” and “It’s Raining Men.“Magic Mikealso doesn’t overstay its welcome, packing all of its many faces, genres, goals, and facets into a solid run time of one hour and 50 minutes. The movie might be 12 years old at the time of writing, but it still feels as fresh and kinetic as the day it premiered.
What Screen Rant has said aboutMagic Mike:
Magic Mike is notable because while it features great dancing, it’s about the tight-knit stripping community, the creed male strippers live by, and the highs and lows that come with their profession. It honors working-class struggles, men’s artistic endeavors, and desire for the male form. Most importantly, its behind-the-scenes format humanizes male strippers and sex workers by letting them tell their stories without treating them solely as commodities or playthings. -Magic Mike Trilogy, Ranked Worst To Best
$167.2 million
78%
60%
Major Awards
Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor - Matthew McConaughey (Nominated)
