Eight years ago, Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) embarked on a road trip with the Kings of Tampa for one last blow out performance. Now he’s back to take another final bow. Down and out on his luck when his business venture falls through, Mike has resorted to bartending. When he meets Maxandra Mendoza (Salma Hayek Pinault), she makes him an offer he simply cannot refuse.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be. As fan of the franchise, I always did prefer the second to the first (probably because of my love for Matt Bomer) so I was wondering how this one would fare. At first I was on the fence when I heard that Hayek Pinault would be the love interest this time around. I have to say that she and Tatum complimented each other quite nicely. That opening number was certainly steamy and I appreciated how they developed a solid friendship with one another along with the romantic feelings that developed over the course of the film.

Let’s be honest. The main reason why we watch these movies is for the hot strippers, am I right? So you could imagine my disappointment when I realized that this had been cut back this time around. Sometimes I felt like I was watching a warped version of Step Up with all the types of dancing we were given. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it was a shift I didn’t think was totally necessary. I also think that they could have benefitted from more dance scenes as the conversations that took place in between were cringey and not always important.

All that being said, the dancing was still superb. Tatum proves once more that he is a force in that department alongside the other talented individuals we saw during these moments. For me, though, the scene that will forever live rent free in my mind is the one that takes place in the rain. I won’t say anything more except if you know, you know.

Overall, Magic Mike’s Last Dance was a decent enough send off for the characters that we have come to know and love since it debuted in 2012. I’m not sure if a theatrical release was necessary, but I can’t lie and say I didn’t mind seeing all these good looking men and women on a bigger screen.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️