Salma Hayek, Channing Tatum, and a Lap Dance: What to Know About Magic Mike’s Last Dance

(SPOT.ph) Magic Mike is back to entertain just in time for Valentine’s Day.

One of Hollywood’s spiciest movies about male strippers is finally at its third installment, following the success of Magic Mike in 2012 and Magic Mike XXL in 2015. This time around, OG Steven Soderberg is back to directing this musical comedy set to hit theaters this month of February.

Everything You Need to Know About Magic Mike's Last Dance

Synopsis of Magic Mike's Last Dance

Retired stripper Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) has just experienced a failed business deal that led him back to working at bars in Florida to make ends meet. So when he is invited to perform a lap dance for wealthy socialite Maxandra Mendoza (Salma Hayek-Pinault) who is going through a nasty divorce, he is reluctant to accept but does so anyway.

“Mike and Maxandra meet at a very interesting moment in their lives,” Tatum explained.  “Mike had taken his furniture company as far as it could go and it folded; Max had been in a marriage for a number of years and it’s fallen apart. They are both at this crossroads, thinking, ‘Who do I want to be now? What do I do now?’ That’s where we meet them, and where they meet each other.”

She ends up so satisfied with the lap dance (unsurprisingly) that she offers him U.S. $60,000 to fly with her and direct a dance sequence for a stage play she handles in London. Mike accepts this with a condition that their relationship remains sexless. Nevermind that he has no prior experience in a stage production, he can dance—and in this movie, that is all that matters. We suppose.

Also read: Channing Tatum went undercover and lap danced for Magic Mike XXL fans

The Cast of Magic Mike's Last Dance

Apart from Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek, Magic Mike's Last Dance is graced with the presence of cast members Caitlin Gerard as Kim, Alan Cox as Roger, Gavin Spokes as Matthew, Ayub Khan-Din as Victor, Juliette Motamed as Hannah, Vicki Pepperdine as Edna Eaglebauer, and Jemelia George as Zadie.

Trailer

You can watch the trailer below.

Reviews and Reception of Magic Mike's Last Dance

Spoilers ahead!

Since its release, Magic Mike’s Last Dance has received lukewarm reviews, with an average rating of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and 53% on Metacritic. Initial reviews point to well, how little the third installment honors its steamy past. Magic Mike's Last Dance can even stand alone as its own movie, with its sole connection to the earlier installments only composing a brief Zoom call with his stripper friends Ken, Tito, Tarzan, and Big Dick Richie. Everything else is new, and it's a move that left views unsure of what to make of the third franchise. 

Film critics from the Boston Globe and ABC News even went as far to say that the movie lacks the magic it promises in its title. However, if your expectation is to be simply entertained, then Magic Mike's Last Dance does the job pretty well. Filmspotting co-host John Larsen writes, "The stars are so in sync that the silly story doesn't matter."

There you have it. What the plot lacks it makes up for its sensual performances by Tatum and Hayek. Gather your girl friends, and your boy friends even, if you want something hot and steamy to look forward to this Valentine’s.

Also read: Hey ladies, Channing Tatum wants to visit the Philippines

Release Date of Magic Mike's Last Dance

Magic Mike's Last Dance will be internationally released on February 10, but it has already started showing in Philippine cinemas nationwide since February 8.