RELATED: ‘Finding Magic Mike’ Mentor Adam Rodriguez on How You Can’t Help But Become Invested In the Contestants on the HBO Max Series It's a refreshing change of pace from the sizes that so often get centered or considered attractive, and the show is just as happy to embrace the inherent sexiness in a lap dance offered by someone who doesn't have a six-pack as it is to cheer on guys with thigh muscles that might rival the size of an adult human head. One of the many, many delightful aspects of this show is the variety of bodies that get the chance to strut their stuff on-stage one contestant, early on, proudly proclaims that the judges (consisting of Rodriguez, Magic Mike Live executive producer Vince Marini, and film/live show choreographers Alison Faulk and Luke Broadlick) will have his "dad bod" to work with the first time the group is required to take their shirts off in public.
That's not to say that there isn't skin on display - but it'd be misleading to claim that Finding Magic Mike only consists of a lot of defined abs and pelvic lines.
Whatever the reason, they get a chance to do it by baring a lot more than their bodies - and over the weeks of competition that follow, with only one winner chosen to receive $100,000, these potential "Mikes" are tasked with not only staggering amounts of choreography to memorize but just as many exercises that are designed to strip them down to the most vulnerable version of themselves. The Cliff's Notes premise is this: 50 men (later whittled down to 25 and then a top 10 after a few initial elimination rounds) have entered the show in an attempt to capture, or maybe even recover, their "magic." For some, that entails tapping into a side of themselves they've never really delved into before for others, that means developing more self-assurance in regards to pursuing intimacy with their partners. It's that philosophy - one that helps a small group of men rediscover confidence in themselves - that unashamedly threads through the entirety of Season 1 of Finding Magic Mike, the reality competition show executive produced by Channing Tatum and Steven Soderbergh (and hosted by franchise cast member Adam Rodriguez) that premiered in its entirety on HBO Max last month. The reason this sequence set to Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" feels so incredibly, face-splittingly joyful is because of what it offers up: men rallying around one of their own to embrace his most assured and carefree self, especially because Richie's biggest emotional journey throughout the film involves expressing verbal doubts about whether or not he can even successfully strip anymore. It's a moment that isn't merely about admiring the male physique - even if there are plenty of muscle groups on display. A pit stop at a gas station leads to an impromptu performance for the cashier courtesy of Big Dick Richie ( Joe Manganiello) while his friends enthusiastically cheer him on the entire time.
I'm sure you know the one - where our beloved and endearing group of male revue dancers decides to pop a little MDMA while road tripping to a stripping convention in Myrtle Beach. There's a scene in 2015's Magic Mike XXL that feels indelibly consigned to the annals of film history forever.