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The Conversation
The Conversation
Lifestyle
Helen Warner, Lecturer in Cultural Politics, Communication and Media Studies, University of East Anglia

Magic Mike's Last Dance proves men are not up to the task of presenting the female gaze

The third and final instalment of the Magic Mike series is still drawing enthusiastic audiences in UK cinemas. Inspired by Channing Tatum’s real-life Magic Mike Live stage show, the conclusion to Steven Soderbergh’s trilogy operates as a backstage musical.

As a result of the economic uncertainty caused by the global pandemic, Mike Lane (Tatum) is forced to return to the world of male stripping – this time as the director of a live show financed by wealthy socialite (and love interest) Max Mendonza (Salma Hayek), in London.

Like its real-life West End inspiration, Mike’s show promises to centre on women’s desires and provide its presumably sexually repressed audience with “whatever she wants, whenever she wants”.

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