dhampyresa: (Natasha and red)
dhampyresa ([personal profile] dhampyresa) wrote2015-07-08 11:06 pm

I just came back from seeing Magic Mike XXL

I was extremely charmed by it. It's a movie about male strippers going on a roadtrip and it delivers on both the stripping and wacky roadtrip hijinks fronts. That said, what charmed me most about it was how queer it was.

Hear me out.

One of the characters is explicitly non-straight, as she says "I'm not in a Boy Phase". Channing Tatum's character is completely cool with that and even suggests that "there will be three thousand women [some of which will also be queer and you can hook up with]". There is also a scene where the male strippers show up at a male strip club and are asked by the bouncer if they're clients, implying that the establishment does cater to male clients. Nothing is made of these. They are completely casual things and it was really refreshing to see a movie that might have been all het romance all the time take the path of having queer people's existence be completely unremarkable.

I like that the strippers are friends and at no point do any of them feel the need to "no homo" it.

I also liked that the stated goal of their stripping is to make women happy. That's it. That's all there is to it. Making these women smile. There's even one scene where the whole point is to make one specific woman smile (just smile) and it's not the dance routine that does it but the joke just after and it still treated as a major victory.

(Also, I am pretty sure Rome and Paris had a thing in the past.)

(Also also: that queer subtext? Definitely intentional.)



I saw this movie with the fandom folks, one of whom convinced me to make a post on something that had been bothering me for a while, so I am posting here to be accountable to that.
yuuago: (Default)

[personal profile] yuuago 2015-07-09 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
I'm glad you had a good time!

Hadn't been planning to watch it myself, but maybe I will give it a look once it's home-released. :Va

[identity profile] draycevixen.livejournal.com 2015-07-08 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
While I definitely think mainstream media is in desperate need of more queer representation I'm with you, I also want the casual, perfectly normal, references as well. It's one of the things I've enjoyed about Person of Interest and, well, Dr. Who.


p.s. I've been saving the comics as a carrot once I get something done I've been procrastinating on. I will definitely let you know what I think as I'm looking forward to it.

[identity profile] morbane.livejournal.com 2015-07-08 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
That sounds lovely!

[identity profile] egelantier.livejournal.com 2015-07-09 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
i hope to watch it tomorrow with a friend! charming potato dancing is my jam. and it sounds like they've chucked out most of the tedious drama, which, FINALLY.

[identity profile] dhampyresa.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I just want queer people to exist, both in the forefront and the background. It really shouldn't be too much to ask.

I hope you enjoy it and I'm looking forward to see what you hav eto say about it.

[identity profile] dhampyresa.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
It was!

[identity profile] dhampyresa.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I hope you did get to watch it and you enjoyed it. Charming Potato was both very charming and dancing and there was no drama.