#2 - Magic Mike

First of all I would like to state that I was talked into watching this movie by my niece. This means I didn't expect anything at all from this movie but spending a fun afternoon with my niece. Although when I realised that this had been directed by Steven Sonderbergh I thought I might be in for nice popcorn movie. 

Let's start with the good things. Channing Tatum did a good job playing the lead. His performance is credible and one wished he could have gotten a little more to work with. He got to prove he is a good dancer once more and his routines were the only ones  that weren't boring and looked cool (Because it takes more to a sexy male dance than just move the hips). He was also convincing protraying his character's journey. One can also tell he has worked as a stripper, as he is the only one that is convincing. 

Unfortunately this is where the good parts of the movie end. Most of the dialog was not only flat but just plain stupid. While the story made an atempt to show the decadence of the life style they lead it failed entirely to show any consequences. Two characters take a drug overdose and basically they just sleep it off and that is it. Nobody ever gets pregnant or a veneral disease from sleeping around recklessly. 

I was surprised at Matthew McConauughey's poor performance, which I assume was due to the bad script since he is usually a decent actor. But his character always reminds me of a cartoon. Alex Pettyfer just looked bored throughout the movie. The rest of the strippers remain flat clichés and one couldn't even remember their characters' names. 

In Germany the film was considered suitable for children of 12 years and older (I think in the US it would be PG-13), which in my opinion was totally wrong. The movie has a clear adult theme and since it is protrayed quiet onesided it can be "dangerous" for young kids and teenagers. 

All in all it is a pity, that no more effort was put into the script because the general idea had potential. If the remaining stripper characters weren't going to be doing much acting anyhow, why not bring in real dancers to create some spectarular dance routines (with the expection of Channing Tatum who does some great dancing!). The movie might have worked as comedy with this dialog and the characters but not as a drama.

Points 3/10