Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Directed by Gregory Jacobs. Starring Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Amber Heard. [R]

Second Magic Mike movie dispatches Matthew McConaughey’s club capitan and Alex Pettyfer’s dull-eyed “the Kid” in efficient fashion (both characters are mentioned, but neither actor appears), and sets up Channing Tatum’s Mike for one last glorious ride by going on the road with the hunky “Kings of Tampa” to a stripping convention in Myrtle Beach. Although “purer” than the first film as a showcase for bare skin and limber motion and muscular posing, being unencumbered by psychological portraiture makes it an even more shallow experience, one with little in the way of forward momentum or memorable supporting characters—Jada Pinkett Smith as a club owner from Mike’s past and Amber Heard as a young woman he implausibly runs into multiple times during his road trip each rate nil on the charisma, charm and depth spectrums. If the dancing and milieu are enough for you, it might be an okay time, but if you’re looking for substance to go along with the prime-cut beef, sweaty swiveling, dry humping, and dull thumping (the music is not my thing), you’ll probably be left as unsatisfied as I was. Although Steven Soderbergh relinquished directing duties for this second installment, he stayed on not just as an executive producer, but also the director of photography and film editor. Cameos include Elizabeth Banks, Andie MacDowell, and Michael Strahan.

42/100