Magic Mike's Last Dance

The third & final chapter of the Magic Mike trilogy, Last Dance follows the titular stripper as he returns for one last gig after a wealthy socialite makes him an offer he couldn't refuse. Neither an exploration of the male stripping profession nor an unabashed celebration of female desire that its predecessors were, this final outing is all about letting Mike head out on his own terms.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Trilogy & Logan Lucky), the film marks his own return to the franchise after the first picture and once again finds him digging deeper than necessary to turn the premise into something more than it needs to be. XXL expertly cracked the code on what it should be about but the director has different plans and makes all the wrong decisions.

The story begins on an incredibly promising note with an erotic, steamy & passionate lap dance but instead of riding on that early momentum provided by that sequence, the interest is allowed to fizzle out as it adds plot threads that require work from scratch. The romance subplot proves to be ineffective and it isn't until the final showdown that the film truly regains its sexual energy.

Overall, Magic Mike's Last Dance had the potential to make the most of Mike's final outing but squanders the opportunity by going into places it didn't need to. The strongest scene happens during the opening moments and then it is a frustrating long wait before something interesting happens again. Arguably the weakest of the three despite Channing Tatum's excellent input & outstanding dance choreography.