Film Review: MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE (2023): A Highly Entertaining and Energetic Romance from Director Steven Soderbergh

Magic Mike’s Last Dance Review

Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Reid Carolin and starring Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek Pinault, Juliette Motamed, Caitlin Gerard, Alan Cox, Christopher Villiers, Vicki Pepperdine, Christie-Leigh Emby, Kasey Iliana Sfetsios, Suzanne Bertish, Christopher Bencomo, Gavin Spokes, Ethan Lawrence, Kylie Shea, Nikkita Chadha, Erin Cline and Nas Ganev.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is the third and most successful of the Magic Mike films. Director Steven Soderbergh offers no shortage of steamy romance in what could have been a routine sequel offering more of the same themes that were featured in the previous two pictures. Channing Tatum is very likable as the male stripper who ends up winning the attention of a wealthy woman from London in Soderbergh’s well-paced and enormously entertaining sequel. This movie proves Tatum has become one of Hollywood’s best leading men.

Tatum once again plays “Magic” Mike Lane, an aging but still handsome 40-ish guy in Florida who is working as a bartender at an elaborate party when he gets recognized by a past female client from his stripping days. Mike is soon called into the beautiful home of Maxandra Mendoza (the luminous Salma Hayek Pinault) who propositions him by offering him six grand for a sexy dance. “No happy ending,” Maxandra adds. Mike gives Maxandra arguably the most memorable night of her life with a lap dance for the movie record books. This scene could be the sexiest one to grace the silver screen in years. Tatum and Hayek Pinault sizzle with tremendous on-screen chemistry and have plenty of sex appeal.

Maxandra is the owner of a theater in London called The Rattigan. She has an idea to hire Mike as the choreographer for a new type of show she would like to put on there. She fires the current one, Matthew (Gavin Spokes) when Mike agrees to go with her to London and take the gig. Meanwhile, Mike and Maxandra audition other male talent to help out so they can put on a great show. It seems Mike has reminded Maxandra what it is like to live with passion in life. Mike also lives with Maxandra which angers her ex-husband with whom she has a daughter.

The plot of Magic Mike’s Last Dance is fun to watch unfold, and the audience is treated to some of the most entertaining romantic scenes of the year so far. Tatum has never been better with some very fine dramatic acting in this movie. Let’s not forget the physical challenges of performing both realistic human intimacy and exotic dancing believably which Tatum does extremely well here. Salma Hayek Pinault is better than she has been in years here as she captures her character’s romantic longing remarkably. This is one of the actresses’ best performances.

As Hannah, the female star who introduces the end striptease show that happens in the picture’s last act, Juliette Motamed is full of energy and is absolutely delightful to watch. Vicki Pepperdine also shines in her role as Edina Eaglebauer, an initially stubborn character who helps our main stars out so they can get to put on their final show. It takes some convincing, though as a bus full of male strippers has to use some creativity to win her over.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is about second chances and romantic yearning. It inspires its audience to never lose focus on living a fulfilling life. It has some funny touches which include Maxandra getting her assistant (Ayub Khan-Din) to cover her daughter’s eyes during a steamy dance late in the picture. The early and provocative lap dance scene between Tatum and Hayek Pinault at the beginning of the movie is going to be hard to beat as the sexiest scene of the year and the dance sequences in the last act are expertly choreographed.

Steven Soderbergh has created another winner. This is, hands down, the most accessible of the Magic Mike movies. Audiences who can handle the risque nature of the picture’s early scenes will find plenty of rewards here. It’s a very entertaining film. Fans will certainly hope that Tatum’s “Magic” Mike will dance again (hopefully with Hayek Pinault) in another sequel in the not-too-distant future.

Rating: 8/10

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