Showing magic muscles: Channing Tatum takes centre stage as the title character in Magic Mike.
DIRECTOR Steven Soderbergh's latest film, Magic Mike, opening today, is, sadly, more about sleaze than magic.
An MA-rated film about blokes who take their clothes off for a living, the "Magic Mike" of the title is played by Channing Tatum, last seen in 21 Jump Street, a film in which he also took his clothes off but that was to change from a police uniform into teen attire as an undercover high school student.
In Magic Mike, he is a construction worker by day making more money as a stripper by night, who introduces a vulnerable young co-worker, Adam, played by Britain's Alex Pettyfer, into the world of stripping.
In a film that looks at the private lives of characters who strip in public, Pettyfer is one of the most interesting, although acting honours belong to Matthew McConaughey as a performer and manager of the strippers.
It's interesting to compare the oldest and youngest among them. McConaughey at 43 certainly has all the right moves while Pettyfer, who is 22, looked in early scenes as though he would rather be anywhere than performing for the women in the audience.
The film also stars newcomer Cody Horn as Adam's protective sister, Brooke.
¦ With its World War II theme, In Darkness (MA) is a powerful drama which tells the true story of a Polish sewer worker, Leopold Socha, whose knowledge of the sewers helped him save Jewish refugees from the Nazis.
Nominated for a best foreign language Academy Award this year, Socha risks his own life to hide the refugees underground where they remain concealed for more than 12 months.
The film did not win an Oscar but Robert Wieckiewicz won a Polish best actor award for his role as Socha.
¦ And If We All Lived Together (M) is a French comedy which can be compared to Britain's comedy hit of the year, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In that film, seven retirees decide to spend their retirement in India.
In And If We All Lived Together a group of five retirees decide that living together would be preferable to moving to a retirement home.
In their new abode they are are joined by a young ethnology student, Dirk, played by Daniel Brühl, who is seeking to write a thesis on old age.
The cast is terrific and includes Jane Fonda and Geraldine Chaplin.