Magic Mike’s Last Dance – A Thin Finale

Originally eyed for an HBO Max streaming release, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, the third film in the Magic Mike trilogy was surprisingly given a theatrical release. It’s been a while, 8 years following the release of 2015’s Magic Mike XXL, therefore the question is that will a story set in the world of stripping and exotic dancing still have an impact and rile up audiences once again? While this film definitely has a fair share of racy moments deserving of its 14A/R rating, it pivots for the most part, or at least tries to, towards more of a romance film. Releasing on Valentines Day weekend, it makes sense and it will undoubtedly attract a large portion of audiences in the process and stars Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek do their best to sell it. However, despite their best efforts, the film fails to be much of a romance and works better as a character study built around the titular Mike. That being said, that character study is built upon a thin plot and even thinner characters in between said racy moments. For those looking for entertainment, this film certainly fits the bill but many will be left wanting more in terms of this film and its fit within the franchise as a whole.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance of course follows former dancer Mike Lane (Tatum) whose failed furniture business left him broke and bartending to make ends meet. His fortunes would quickly change upon meeting a wealthy socialite named Maxandra Mendoza (Hayek) who whisks him away to London so they can create a show in a renowned London theatre. As much as Mike and Maxandra were fun to watch together, the show was the film’s ultimate endgame and as a result, that romance angle essentially becomes an afterthought as subplots form an increasing divide between them. Meanwhile, rushing its way to setting up that endgame, it did not do the film any favors as far as character development was concerned. Nevertheless, the film overcomes that tenuous foundation on its way to delivering a redemption story of sorts that won’t come as that much of a surprise to anyone. All things considered, it is one that is still somewhat compelling to watch albeit a predictable one, Maxandra not included as her side of the story was nowhere near as interesting.

As mentioned, the endgame of Magic Mike’s Last Dance was the show and that process and its inevitable ups and downs was fun to watch until it got broken up by everything else going on. This was where Mike and Maxandra were at their best as opposed to the happenings behind the scenes. For Mike, it was a journey of self-rediscovery where he found meaning while embracing his true passion and the effect it had on him was clear. Unfortunately, it would have been nice to have more of these scenes as the balance narratively as a whole wasn’t quite there. One of the film’s highlights was the dancing and the dancing scenes. The sheer talent on display and the work to capture it on screen beautifully was truly something to behold. The creativity shown in the choreography only put it even more over the top. The final show and the climax of the film was the culmination of all of that and is sure to have some audiences riled up.

In spite of the film’s thin foundation, what ultimately makes Magic Mike’s Last Dance work was the aforementioned performances from Tatum and Hayek as Mike and Maxandra. Their chemistry saves the film but at the end of the day, its undoubtedly Mike’s film as Tatum and his charm have not lost a beat. One can’t help to be pulled in once again into his latest journey and connect with his passion though his lack of range still fails to seal the deal on an emotional level as he barely had anything going on. Hayek, on the other hand, was as fiery as always and her chemistry with Tatum was solid. Saddled with a particularly thin character and a thin and uninteresting story, she was just there more than anything else which is a shame as she deserves better.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is a serviceable film individually that is not without its flaws but it may leave some franchise fans disappointed.

still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.