Magic Mike XXL - C

Rated R, 115 minutes

I don't believe there's anything I could say to dissuade any female (or anyone interested in this sorta thing) from seeing the male stripper, uhm, I mean "male entertainer" movie "Magic Mike XXL," the dull, pointless sequel to the blockbuster 2012 drama "Magic Mike." I can tell you that if you're going for the entertainment value, you won't be disappointed, but stripped down there's little else to offer, as if that matters to its primary audience. Picking up three years after Mike (Channing Tatum, buff and back for more) bowed out of the stripper life, "Magic Mike XXL" finds the remaining Kings of Tampa (including Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer, among others) likewise ready to throw in the towel. Yet they want to do it their way with last blow-out performance at a Myrtle Beach Stripper Convention (who knew), with Mike sharing their spotlight. Along the way, the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways. Directed by newcomer Gregory Jacobs and co-written by Tatum and Reid Carolin, "Magic Mike XXL" is more of the same beefcake and peppered with some crowd-pleasing moments that's sure to make the female set very, very happy; Manganiello has by far the movie's most memorable scene, involving Cheetos and bottled water though the movie could've used more of this fun energy. In between these showier moments, the flimsy, thin story offers less magic and inspiration that the first one had, mainly since it's missing charismatic co-star Matthew McConaughey and Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh as director, who produces and handles the photography this time out. Jada Pinkett-Smith fills in for McConaughey this round as MC, and while she's good, she lacks the swagger of the blonde Oscar-winner. Amber Heard is around as the love interest, but she and Tatum have little screen time or chemistry, and of the large cast, somehow comedian Donald Glover of "Community" fame made the cut as a junior league stripper assistant (it's as bad as it sounds), woefully miscast and misplaced, though keep an eye out for ex-football player and current talk show host Michael Strahan in one risqué, eye-popping scene. The last act, along with the disappointing final set, goes on much too long, and while "Magic Mike XXL" delivers the goods onstage, there's little to go on here in terms of story or characters: it's all style and little substance, but its target audience won't care about any of that. If you're really interested and want to check out "Magic Mike XXL" (and I'm sure many will) then go for it, but it lacks the spark and charm of the first one.