not for kids
Cheerful stripper comedy is too sexy, mature for kids.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Magic Mike is an ensemble drama about a group of male strippers (played by Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey, among others), so there's a great deal of nudity. Although there's no complete "full monty," every dance sequence includes the guys stripping down to tiny thongs that show their butts and highlight their genitals. In one scene, a penis is briefly pumped before a man goes on stage, and several sex scenes feature topless women. Language is also quite strong, with "f--k" used in almost every scene. There's also lots of drinking and some drug use; an underage character nearly dies from an overdose. And two henchmen rough up someone they're trying to intimidate. Bottom line? The amount of nudity, language, and substance use make this drama too mature for anyone under 17.
- Families can talk about how Magic Mike depicts the male strippers. Is their lifestyle glamorized? What are consequences of being a stripper for Mike?
- Is the nudity in the movie gratuitous or is part of the plot development? Is there a different standard for nudity/sexuality in movies versus violence? Should there be?
- Does knowing that Tatum started off his career in entertainment as a stripper in real life change how you think of him?
The good stuff
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Messages: For a movie about strippers, there are plenty of messages about the nature of unconditional friendship and ambition, the importance of family, and the difference between who you are what you do for a living.
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Role models: Despite his flaws, Mike looks out for his friends, works hard, and tries his best to make the most of his situation. He's also selfless and willing to bail out Adam, even though Adam definitely doesn't "deserve" the sacrifice. All of the Xquisite strippers are brotherly toward each other and help each other out when necessary. Brooke is the voice of reason who tries to convince Adam to get a normal day job and encourages Mike to take a close look at his dreams and whether he's actually going to achieve them by being a stripper.
What to watch for
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Violence: A drug dealer's two henchmen ransack Mike's house and rough him up a bit. There's a disturbing scene when a guy looks like he might be dead (but he's just unconscious).
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Sex: Many scenes of nearly naked men performing stripteases. Most of the strip routines involve the men shedding down to a thong that shows off their butt and cups their penis. Several sex scenes feature topless women and men naked from behind. In one brief scene, part of a penis is shown in the foreground being "pumped" under the table before the character hits the stage (full "side" nudity rather than full "frontal," basically).
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Language: Constant swearing -- the word "f--k" and its derivatives are used in nearly every scene. Strong language also includes "motherf--ker," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "damn," "p---y," "d--k," "c--k," "crap," "t-ts," "ass," "hell," "douche," "goddamn," "oh my God," and more.
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Consumerism: Two Ford F-150 trucks and a Honda Accord are in several scenes, and in a couple of shots, brands like Pella Windows, Waffle House, and Cadillac are briefly glimpsed.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: The strippers do a lot of drinking -- both to attract new customers and to have fun. All of the characters are over 21 except for Adam, who's 19. They drink cocktails, beer, and hard liquor and take (and sell) pills of Ecstasy and drink G (liquid Ecstasy). The underage character nearly has an overdose and is found passed out in a pool of his own vomit.
Fan Reviews provided by
4
Magic Mike.....Magic or not so Magic? by mojokittycat23
Well this is an excelent movie if you want to see some nice looking booties up on the big screen! Awesome male cast! However the movie was pretty trashy. Not that I didn't like it....just there was a bunch of 17 year old girls (and some younger) in there and it was a little uncomfortable at times with the adult content. The story line was OK but I thought the movie ended BAD.....actually it was almost as if they were filming and then all of the sudden someone shouted "OK GUYS TIME IS RUNNING OUT LET'S FINISH THIS NOW". Could of had a better ending. But for the most part I loved it....just because I loved all the good looking fine MEN dancing naked on the screen! LOL
2
Mediocre performance, weak plot, by Flickster2001
The story line was very weak, and the execution was even weaker. If you want to check out half naked guys running around then the movie is for you. Otherwise do no expect to be entertained. All major characters had weak presence, plot was barely existent and the story line was not continuous. Just random scenes thrown together and edited to make the movie over an hour and a half long. Dance scenes were short so if that is what you are looking for there are only a few of these.
Overall, not recommended.
5
Um...yes please! by mjfroggy73
Ok, is this an Oscar winner? No. Is this entertaining and worth every penny just to see Channing Tatum's amazing dance moves? ABSOLUTELY! Went to a midnight showing with a few girlfriends and it was a blast! Finally a real 'girls-only' movie - hot men, hot dancing, hot and bothered! Will be first in line to buy the DVD :-) !
5
I THINK I DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN WATCHING THIS MOVIE by JessykaStarr
This was the most Awesome Chick Flick EVER!! Great Music and Amazing dance movies by True Blood's Joe Manganiello and Step Up's Channing Tatum. Defintily Not For Kids or Guys with "homo issues" But Gotta Give The Men of "Magic Mike" Credit, They did amazing!!! The only downside was it needed a better ending.
1
Magic Mike by reining horses
My girl friend and I looked forward to seeing this movie and went to the first showing. If we could have spent 1/5 the price and watched the first 10 - 15 minutes, then left, it would have been great. The rest of the movie was boring, dull and uninteresting. There was no continous story plot, the dancing was just so-so and the acting was almost non-existant. Even the group of cheering, excited girls in front of us got very quiet and couldn't wait to leave at the end of it. The best part of the movie ended up being the previews and our drinks.
3
Entertaining Fluff by comixfreek
Generally this was an entertaining film, if not a challenging or thought provoking film. The cinematography is well done, but let's face it, no one's going to see this film because of how it's filmed! The half-naked men are good as male strippers, with plenty of beefcake and sexual gyrations to keep straight women & gay men attentive for the film. Not one of Soderbergh's best films, but passable. Basically this movie is like a candy bar: a sweet treat with empty calories that you'll forget after it's gone.
2
Horrible by mairinanna3
Horrible acting, bad storyline, stripping scenes weren't at all what they were cracked up to be in the previews. They randomly throw out different months, there's no clear villain, there's too many plots happening, and there is no climax at all (no pun intended). Channing Tatum does some incredible dancing but nothing that can't be seen in Step Up.
4
Magic Mike by texasdreamer1
Acting was good, dancing was great... plot sucked...ending sucked...I enjoyed the movie but it wan't wonderful...it would have been better to have a better ending and plot...
2
Magic Mike = Bad Movie! by sheplak
Awful! Acting, what acting! Plot, what plot! Don't waste your time or money! I would not even rent this for a dollar out of the Redbox!
1
Mike can dance- but that was the best part. by missromeo1986
The female love interest was a terrible actress, had her "stink" face on throughout the entire movie, if you will. Channing Tatum was the best looking guy of all the dancers and the "new guy"- not even cute, let alone hot! Not impressed at all- stupid story line. Channing Tatum is better than this....