Loosely based on his time as a male exotic dancer before he made it big in movies, Channing Tatum stars in this slick, enjoyable comedy drama written by Reid Carolin and directed by Steven Soderbergh. He may be the star of the show, playing the titular character, but he shares the limelight with Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey, the latter getting a role very different from his turn in Killer Joe but ultimately just as entertaining.
The story is a familiar one given slightly unfamiliar dressing (or should that be undressing?). McConaughey is the wise elder managing the exotic dance troupe, Tatum is the star attraction who is also putting away his money as part of his plan to escape the lifestyle and start his own business and Pettyfer is the young lad who gets a lucky break when he helps the guys to complete a show. The money, the girls, the parties, it’s not long until Pettyfer gets lost in the madness of it all but his sister (Olivia Munn) tries to keep him safe while he has his fun.
As you’d expect from Steven Soderbergh, this is a cool movie (both in terms of the style and look of the thing and also in the relaxed pace). It’s not a slow movie, and there are moments of over the top madness you would expect to see in a film about male strippers, but it’s recognisable as a Soderbergh film despite the central subject matter.
The acting from everyone involved is very good, with Tatum and Pettyfer (as well as Munn) anchoring the movie in terms of the drama and story arc while all of the stars required to strut their stuff on stage deserve extra points for bravery. McConaughey puts in another of those winning performances that we’ve seen of late and, once again, reminds you of why he became a star in the first place.
If you go into the movie expecting to see something that you’ve never seen before then you will be in for a big disappointment. This is the standard tale of a young man learning from an older and wiser friend before letting his ego get a little too inflated. It’s a rags to riches tale with the riches taking the form of a partying lifestyle and numerous willing sexual partners. It’s also a lot of fun. The soundtrack is lively, the bright lights dance around the stage, there are lots of nice little laughs throughout and the main characters are interesting and, in the case of Tatum and Munn, easy to like.
Women will enjoy the film for obvious reasons but men, like myself, may also enjoy it. Even if that’s not what you tell your colleagues at work the next day.
DIRECTOR: STEVEN SODERBERGH
WRITER: REID CAROLIN
STARS: CHANNING TATUM, MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ALEX PETTYFER, OLIVIA MUNN, JAMES MARTIN KELLY, CODY HORN, REID CAROLIN, KEVIN NASH, JOE MANGANIELLO
RUNTIME: 110 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA
Film Rating: 
