In the summers of 2012 and 2015, the question I found myself asked most often — other than “do you understand that this is a family restaurant?” — was “really?” So it goes when you tell folks your favorite (wide-release) movie of the sweltering season was, respectively, Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, works that most assume, and not carelessly, are made with female audiences in mind. Whatever the target audience might ultimately be, these are the most entertaining, endearing, intelligently photographed, and inclusive — more so than franchises touting “diversity” as its main selling point — films produced by any studio in recent years.
Whether you stop whenever they’re running on HBO or haven’t bothered because these movies seem like they’d be of no interest, I’d recommend taking a look at Josh Lewis‘ new video essay examining the series’ optimistic, inclusive view of brotherhood, masculinity, and male-female interactions. Along with the more obvious elements that make up each entry, certain complexities of their cinematography and POV are explored with an intelligence befitting the care they received in the first place.
Watch below: