‘XXL’ is a frothy grind for ‘Magic Mike’ and his pals

Channing Tatum

PART of the irresistible lure of America among tourists and immigrants is the perception that just about anything they can think of is possible in the vaunted Land of Milk and Honey—from same-sex marriages to vagina workshops…to stripper conventions!

The latest escapade of the hunky, chunky and happy-go-lucky guys of Gregory Jacobs’ “XXL,” the more frivolous second installment of the stripper drama, “Magic Mike,” starring Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello, wouldn’t even be possible without the annual stripper convention attended by 3,000 women—who expect to get teased, caressed and pleased by muscle-bound male strippers!

For cash-strapped men from poorer countries, the bump-and-grind job is often born out of need, not by choice. Therein lies the rub: Mike (Tatum), Ken (Bomer), Richie (Manganiello), Tito (Adam Rodriguez) and Tarzan (Kevin Nash) may have better options—but, when they’re not proselytizing about the “artistic” and “therapeutic” elements of stripping for cash, they enjoy being objectified by women!

Too expensive

For Dallas (Matthew McConaughey, who has become too “expensive” after winning an Oscar), it also means good business. He left the group to put up a new strip show in Macau. Alex Pettyfer, a.k.a. Adam the Kid, has also flown the coop because he reportedly didn’t get along with Tatum in the first film.

For “Magic” Mike Lane, it hasn’t been easy since he traded his skimpy skivvies to manage his own furniture business. But, when he learns that his pals from the Kings of Tampa are about to call it quits, he willingly revisits his stripper past—and joins the boys for one last ride!

There are bumps in the road ahead, however: Mike and company must take an 890-kilometer road trip from Tampa, Florida, to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, and conceptualize exciting new routines that would enable them to make their exit with a bang—in two days!

New emcee

Moreover, they need a new emcee (Jada Pinkett Smith), and convince Paris (“Pitch Perfect’s” Elizabeth Banks), the stripper convention’s programming director, to give them a slot in the lineup!

With its carefree storytelling style and playfully skittish characters, it’s hard to take the film seriously. But, with producer Steven Soderbergh watching his back, Jacobs manages to iron out the production’s narrative kinks and coax satisfying portrayals from his testosterone-pumped actors—who are as winkingly winsome as they’re steamy.

Tatum is a snug fit in his role, especially when he struts his terpsichorean stuff and bumps women’s blues away. But, dancing isn’t just fun and games for the actor—he’s serious about his craft: In his quest for credibility, he even hired male strippers, and had them try moves on him! Now that’s thespic dedication and commitment.

The thrills in what his character does seem fleeting, but they serve their purpose—to make women temporarily forget their domestic boredom and woes.

Magic Mike’s decisions don’t always make much sense, but that’s what everyone says when people give up financially lucrative jobs to chase their dreams and—happily serve their “art!”