'Magic Mike's Last Dance' is a worthy end to an underappreciated trilogy
WB
The “Magic Mike” movies have never been about stakes, really. There have been considerations of career and relationships, but one of the many surprising and fantastic things about these underrated movies (2012’s original, 2015’s sequel “XXL”) is how they simultaneously can be exciting and reflective.
Much of that comes from all of the films’, and that includes the 2023 part-three “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” ability to embody how Channing Tatum, the star whose real-life experience inspired the first movie, excels and being both funny and sincere. From the start this series was far more affecting than anyone anticipating two raucous hours of stripping would have expected (and may have been more thoughtful than some wanted or prefer to consider). Part two further explored people at a crossroads and turned what can be a stock message about living in the moment into a loose, enjoyable and empowering road movie. And “Last Dance” maintains its predecessors’ recognition of individual innovation and group achievement while finding new ways to be erotic, even if its love story doesn’t ever get there.
Bartending at a house designed for magazine spreads, Mike (Tatum) meets Maxandra (Salma Hayek Pinault), leading to an extended, steam-inducing sequence that gives Max an idea: bring Mike to London and let him take over directing a play, which will really stick it to Max’s soon-to-be-ex-husband (Alan Cox) and, in Max’s mind, provide opportunity for the creativity for which Mike has always been destined. Even though Max just met him, and Mike says he doesn’t dance anymore. Their night together notwithstanding.
This leads to a somewhat standard “putting on a show” narrative, yet writer Reid Carolin and returning director Steven Soderbergh (yessssssssssss) bring texture where others might have grazed. Mike’s dynamic with Max’s daughter Zadie (Jemelie George), along with her occasional narration, works way better than you’d think because of the low-key charm Tatum continues to give the character, and the franchise’s ability to find purpose in daily searching.
I wish “Last Dance” were as attuned to the relationship between Mike and Max as it wants to be, or spent more time filling in the supporting characters. Where the previous movies felt rich and welcomed rewatching, this is very much a third installment and probably won’t bring people back for more in the same way.
But there’s no shame in setting a high bar twice in a row and at least glancing in its direction the last time around.
B
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