Sorry, McConaugholics. Swaggering emcee Dallas doesn't make an appearance in XXL. Nor does Alex Pettyfer's "the Kid".
Channing Tatum is still around, given that he's the title character. And he's joined by the hard-bodied performers who barely spoke during the first movie. Now we get to know them better. Matt Bomer's Ken turns out to be a new-agey Reiki master who quotes Oprah. Tito (Adam Rodriguez) is an aspiring frozen yoghurt artisan; the first movie's drug-dealing troublemaker, Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias), is no longer a problematic instigator. Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello) is just looking for that special someone who isn't scared off by his colossal manhood and Kevin Nash's Tarzan wants to be a painter.
They're joined by some new additions, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, Amber Heard and Andie MacDowell.
It's not a dark cautionary tale
Drugs caused big problems in Magic Mike. In XXL, a Molly trip leads to one of the most entertaining scenes in the movie. This isn't a story about consequences, unless those consequences are something we can all laugh about later.
There isn't a traditional plot The story moves toward an end goal, sort of. The premise is that the guys have reunited on a road trip for one last hurrah at an annual stripper's convention. After that, they plan to go their separate ways. So they really have to make this count.
This isn't a movie about the destination but a slow-moving journey where old buddies have lewd heart-to-hearts between squeal-inducing hip gyrations.
There isn't a traditional script Reid Carolin, who wrote Magic Mike, also gets credit for the sequel. But the movie feels almost entirely ad-libbed, and not in a graceful way.
The dance version of a musical
Magic Mike XXL exudes the absurd appeal of Mamma Mia!. Its primary goal is to entertain, and every plot point drives us toward another show-stopping number, like when Mike is in his garage welding before getting inspired, by hearing Ginuwine's Pony, to shimmy around his machinery.
Relentlessly positive
The movie is a buddy comedy about male bonding. But the guys aren't afraid to hang out at gay bars or sing the praises of women. The women are various ethnicities, shapes and sizes. Sure, it might all be pandering to its target demographic - women and men who want to see scantily-clad muscle-bound Adonises - but it works.
The big message is that we should all be following our bliss. Each character envisions his future dream job, and the only way the guys can create a memorable final strip performance is to incorporate the things they love the most - painting, singing, what have you - into their routine.
Shout-outs for Soderbergh
Magic Mike director Steven Soderbergh's frequent collaborator Gregory Jacobs took the reins for XXL, and he pays homage to his friend. At least, that's what it looks like. For one thing, the movie stars MacDowell, whose breakthrough was Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape, in 1989. And the final shot looks a lot like Oceans 11 as the camera pans across the guys' faces while they watch fireworks.
Ludicrously entertaining
For all its weirdly stilted dialogue and transparent pro-woman manipulations, the movie is hilarious and endearing. The giddy chatter of movie-goers was nearly deafening after a recent screening.
Metallic banana hammock
Forget the rest - this is all you really need to know.
