Miss Flicks

Magic Mike’s Last Dance: Film Review

The lack of promotion for the third Magic Mike film, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, didn’t fill me with confidence and there’s a reason for that – it is not good.

Since his furniture business went bust in the pandemic, former stripper Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) is making a living as a bartender. At a private fundraiser in Miami, he encounters rich and newly separated socialite Maxandra Mendoza (Salma Hayek Pinault). After she offers him money for a private lap dance, the pair ultimately hook up and she asks him to return home to London with her and direct a male strip show that’ll really wind up her estranged husband Roger (Alan Cox).

The biggest problem with this film is that it barely feels like a Magic Mike movie. Writer Reid Carolin and director Steven Soderbergh seem to have lost sight of what fans of the franchise want or expect and have strayed too far from its origins. Sure, it has the title character but that’s about it – Mike is no longer a dancer or with his buddies. I think the team totally underestimated how much Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez brought to the table. They had great banter and camaraderie, which is showcased in a brief Zoom call, and I missed them. I also missed the franchise’s signature song Pony, which gets a brief appearance.

The lengthy opening lapdance is sensual and steamy as hell, with a topless Tatum seriously gyrating against Hayek and pulling off impressive physical feats. Although it felt a little bit OTT and cringe, it gave me confidence that we had another erotic Magic Mike movie on our hands. But the sexiness just disappears as we follow them to London and watch them cast dancers and put together the show. Thankfully, the sexiness returns at the end when Mike performs an incredible – and very raunchy – routine with an equally fit ballerina (Kylie Shea).

You would think that Mike would be in control of the story considering it’s his movie but Max is the one in the driving seat and he’s just along for the ride. She’s the one calling the shots and making the big decisions although he’s supposed to be the director. Plus, I didn’t buy their romance. Attraction? Maybe. Love? Absolutely not.

The screenplay is not good. For starters, this is not remotely a Magic Mike story. I’m genuinely baffled that this is the narrative they went with. Secondly, I hated the narration – Max’s daughter Zadie (Jemelia George) seems to be reading a thesis about dance and love – and it was unnecessary and tonally weird. Also, it’s far too long, it’s flat and uninspired and the ending is rushed. And, it whacks you over the head with its message about consent. It’s a worthy point but once would have been enough.

The film has good moments though. It’s quite funny at times and Mike’s opening and closing dance numbers are excellent. In fact, the choreography is great to watch in general (even if it’s more contemporary dance than erotic), with a sequence on a London bus standing out. The new dancers are very talented but they are there to purely dance – they don’t act, they aren’t given characters and they aren’t a replacement for the original lineup. However, they are a very good advertisement for the Magic Mike Live show, which is essentially what this film is (since many of the show’s dancers are featured here).

Normally when a film is bad, I just brush it off and carry on but this one actually put me in a bad mood. I wanted it to be so much better. What a letdown.

In cinemas from Friday 10th February