What’s it about?

After a chance encounter with a wealthy socialite, “Magic” Mike Lane finds himself heading to London to stage a one-off show with a roster of new dancers.

What’d we think?

Magic Mike is exactly what it says on the tin, and unless you’ve got unreasonably high expectations it’s a pretty fun time. There’s no dramatic reveals or manufactured conflicts, just a lightweight plot that’s an excuse to showcase some incredible dancing. Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek Pinault are both genuinely funny and charming, and while the supporting cast isn’t given too much to do it’s probably for the best. In an inversion of one of my more common criticisms, one gets the impression that the movie was originally longer and potentially attempted to flesh out the side characters a little more, but it would appear that these elements were mercifully cut for time.

Simply put, you’ll come for the dancing, you’ll stay for the dancing, and you’ll probably enjoy some funny moments along the way.

Editor’s note: Someone in the production is also clearly a fan of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, leading to the bizarrely unexpected sensation of “oh I’ve seen this exact sequence before”.