Channing Tatum returns to the stage in Magic Mike’s Last Dance which features more erotic dancing but is also more toned down.
Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) takes to the stage again when a business deal that went bust leaves him broke and bartending in Florida. Hoping for one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek) who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse — and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, he soon finds himself trying to whip a hot new roster of talented dancers into shape.
The comedy in this series always has a little fun with the humor and tries to break things up a bit. The third installment in the franchise accomplishes this well and finds the correct times to slip a line to make viewers giggle naturally. It’s cute humor with a touch of dry comedy and it works well to elevate without being too distracting.
The acting is fairly decent, nothing Oscar-worthy, but it doesn’t mean that it’s anything to stick your nose up at. The group around Mike has simple roles and is used evenly enough to be a spectacle that the targeted audience has been looking at for years. Salma Hayek is funny, passionate, and filled with that passion that she always brings to her roles. Channing Tatum isn’t super mind-blowing, but he is funny and plays his character well and this movie adds more development and growth to his role.
The story does go deeper in this film and revolves around growth as an artist which takes the premise and adds more art to it, while also integrating a tale that connects the two main characters outside of just another campy love story, and shows just how much the movie covers of how Mike has become more mature in life from his experiences.
Overall, Magic Mike’s Last Dance is probably my favorite of the series, mostly because it adds elements that an audience member like me can enjoy more. The movie uses dancing so well compared to the previous films and still maintains its hold on the fundamentals that made this series so popular. It’s definitely predictable, and the acting is alright but there is still enjoyment to it. However, the movie does try to be more and then sort of changes its mind in the third act. Maybe it was the time getting the best of them, or maybe they were straying too far from the elements aimed at their targeted audience. It’s hard to say, but the movie’s ending while an entertaining combination of music and dance, also felt like a cop-out to what they were building up to.
Magic Mike’s Last Dance is now playing in theaters.
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