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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Friday 10 February 2023
Review: Magic Mike bids farewell with a ‘Last Dance’

By LINDSEY BAHR ater, and all of its fussy rules,
AP Film Writer ablaze (figuratively). If only
The words Magic Mike all scorned socialites could
may conjure up images of do something so charitable
sweaty, sculpted, undu- with their rage.
lating men, dancing un- It’s a clever conceit for a
threateningly for hoards filmmaker who never tires
of screaming women, but of singeing the establish-
there has always been a ment he continues work in.
backdrop of brutal eco- And like many Soderbergh
nomic reality looming over films, “Magic Mike’s Last
the fantasy world. Dance,” shaggy, earnest
The unlikely franchise has and innocently tawdry,
explored the escalating goes down so easy that it’s
devaluation of physical la- almost impossible to appre-
borers, the suffocating ef- ciate it fully on a first watch.
fects of the college industri- I imagine it will only improve
al complex, predatory loan with more.
businesses, recession and If there is a quibble, it’s that
even COVID-19, which has This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Salma Hayek, left, and Channing Tatum in a Hayek and Tatum don’t
scene from “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.”
effectively destroyed poor Associated Press quite inspire the will-they-
Mike Lane’s furniture busi- won’t-they tension that the
ness in this latest film. from Steven Soderbergh sequels promise but don’t wealthy benefactor, in the movie seems to be asking
When we re-meet Chan- after seeing what Tatum deliver on: It’s both a true form of the operatically of them.
ning Tatum’s gentle hunk had done with Magic Mike evolution and a conclu- named Maxandra Men- They work well together
in “ Magic Mike’s Last Live. The Las Vegas stage sion. doza (Salma Hayek) who when they’re working to-
Dance,” in theaters Friday, show, inspired by the first It’s also part fantasy, part is in the midst of a messy gether, but the romantic
he’s bartending at parties two movies, is described bleak reality, part com- divorce from an obscenely chemistry is a bit lacking.
for the very rich in Miami. on its website as “an un- mentary the fundamental successful media mogul Besides, his great unre-
The gig could be worse, but forgettably fun night of siz- value of dance and what’s and looking to shake things quired love isn’t a person
though he doesn’t quite zling, 360-degree entertain- lost in a society that has up. but his furniture business,
say it, the implication is ment,” “hot,” “hilarious,” forgotten how. It is not, in After an acrobatic, but right? It doesn’t help that
that he’s even aged out of “the great time you’ve other words, simply another fully clothed, encounter Maxandra is also an ex-
dancing now. He has to se- been looking for” and “the striptease. with Mike, she decides to tremely underdeveloped
riously think about it when ultimate girl’s night out.” “Magic Mike” and “XXL” whisk him away to London, character.
his wealthy employer offers But “Magic Mike’s Last (directed by Gregory Ja- dress him up and put him in This story is told like a fairy
him $6,000 for a dance lat- Dance” is not quite any of cobs) both latched on to charge of staging a show tale, or a poetically com-
er that evening. those things and perhaps a kind of pure joy in the that promises to make its posed school paper from
Asking why sequels exist might even annoy some spectacle of the male strip- audiences feel the way she a particularly precocious
doesn’t usually produce of its most enthusiastic fans per. But that audience, by did the night she met Mike. student, with a silky voiced
satisfying answers, but the ones who simply want nature of its venues, is in- In the process, she, and young narrator telling us
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” to holler at the six-packs in herently limited and “down Soderbergh, Tatum and about Mike’s woes and
is a film that was born back- front of them. Because this market.” In “Last Dance,” screenwriter Reid Carolin, the waning significance of
wards, a fit of inspiration film is that thing that many Soderbergh gives Mike a set a historic London the- dance in the culture. q

At Super Bowl, Sheryl Lee Ralph seeks to ‘Lift Every Voice’

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. was a renowned Jamaican first-time nominee for best several memorable roles 1980s and the stepmother
AP Entertainment Writer fashion designer. supporting actress in a com- including the Broadway to the title character on the
PHOENIX (AP) — Sheryl “My parents always be- edy for her role as Barbara musical “Dreamgirls” in the 1990s sitcom “Moesha.”q
Lee Ralph is living a ca- lieved in me and my suc- Howard on ABC’s “Abbott
reer dream: The “Abbott cess,” she continued. “I Elementary,” which also
Elementary” star won her know this would’ve been stars Quinta Brunson. In her
first Emmy last year and will something they would love acceptance speech, she
lend her powerful vocals as to have been a part of. I do bellowed powerful lyrics
a Super Bowl pregame per- miss them. about being an “Endan-
former this weekend. Ralph will hit this Sunday’s gered Species” by Dianne
With all her success, the Super Bowl stage to sing Reeves to implore others
veteran actor-singer only “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” to never give up on their
wishes her late parents The other pregame perfor- dreams or aspirations.
were living to witness her mances include country Ralph said she always be-
recent accomplishments. music star Chris Stapleton, lieved in her abilities. She’s
“I wish that my parents were who will sing the national happy to finally receive the
still alive to see it and expe- anthem, while R&B leg- positive recognition and
rience it with me,” Ralph end Babyface will perform energy being served her
said in a recent interview “America the Beautiful.” Ri- way.
while promoting the Mi- hanna is the featured half- “Fame and success can Sheryl Lee Ralph arrives at AARP’s 21st annual Movies for
croban 24 sanitizing spray. time performer. be very daunting,” said the Grownups Awards on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, at the Beverly
Her father was a college Last year, the 66-year-old actor who has decades of Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
professor, while her mother Ralph won an Emmy as a industry experience with Associated Press