The Magic Mike Movies Aren't Just About The Men, As Elizabeth Banks And Jada Pinkett Smith Proved
The "Magic Mike" movies are ostensibly about men, or at the very least about one man (Channing Tatum's titular "Magic" Mike), but the women of the franchise have an important role, too. Mike has had his romantic interests through each film, like Cody Horn's Brooke in "Magic Mike," Amber Heard's Zoe in "Magic Mike XXL," and now Salma Hayek Pinault in "Magic Mike's Last Dance," but the second movie also has two brilliant, beautiful bisexual women who have carved out positions of power in the world of male stripping: Jada Pinkett Smith's Rome and Elizabeth Banks' Paris. Rome and Paris, besides sharing place-based names, also share some kind of romantic or sexual past together, and they're the kind of women that make fems everywhere want to scream "#Goals!".
I've already written at length about how "Magic Mike XXL" is a masterpiece that addresses desire and women's needs, but Hayek Pinault's role as Mike's equal partner in "Last Dance" made me think about these two incredible characters again, and how they're the kind of wish fulfillment power fantasy we need more of in entertainment. I would watch an entire movie just about Rome and Paris, maybe traveling to the cities that share their names, living their best lives. The "Magic Mike" series doesn't just give people attracted to men something lovely to look at, but it also gives its female characters agency and lets them be even cooler than the guys. Now that's girl power.
Rome's domain of desire
In "Magic Mike XXL," Mike and his stripping buddies (Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and Kevin Nash) take a road trip with their new emcee Tobias, played by Gabriel Iglesias, driving up the Atlantic coast to end their careers with a bang at the Myrtle Beach male stripper convention. After Tobias accidentally wrecks their ride and can't go on, the crew needs to find a new emcee, again. Thankfully Mike knows a woman in Savannah who runs her own place and might be just the right match. The audience is introduced to Rome in her playground — a sprawling mansion where women pay a monthly fee to attend luxurious parties with male strippers catering to their whims — and she is clearly ruling the roost. She exudes power, strolling around her room and the rest of the mansion, running the whole operation as if it's her own personal dream world. There's a lot of love and respect between her and the dancers, too, which is clear in both their dedication to her and in how they treat the women they dance for. Both Malik (the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss) and Andre (Donald Glover) do their best to women feel seen and beautiful, and it's an extension of Rome's leadership.
Rome doesn't really like to leave her domain, which is understandable because it's such a paradise. She does agree to it, however, in order to help Mike and the guys make their dreams of one last group show come true. They head off and she ends up meeting them in Myrtle Beach, it's a darn good thing she shows up when she does.
Paris runs the show
The guys take a detour and Joe Manganiello's Big Dick Richie hooks up with a sweet Southern mama played by Andie MacDowell, but they eventually make it to the stripper convention. The problem is that the convention's already booked and Mike and the crew haven't signed up for slots. Paris is emceeing the event and explains the situation to Mike, who begs her to no avail. Could you imagine getting to gaze at Channing Tatum's abs and then look him in the eyes and tell him "no" anyway? The power. When Rome shows up and explains that she's the team's emcee, Paris changes her tune. She and Rome share a passionate welcome that hints at a sexy romantic past (or present?) between them and causes the guys to all sheepishly look away, then she agrees to figure out a way to slide them into the dance rotation.
Paris soon takes the stage, looking like Malibu Barbie and absolutely killing her hosting duties (Dallas who?) and it looks like Banks is having the time of her life. She's the queen of the male stripper show, and my goodness is it satisfying. Rome emcees for Mike, Richie, and the rest of the guys, and the movie ends with the heroes going home happy, all because Rome was able to sway Paris into letting the dudes dance.
Seriously, give them a spin-off
Elizabeth Banks and Jada Pinkett Smith seemed to have a blast any time they appeared together to promote "Magic Mike XXL," and Pinkett Smith went on the record saying that her onscreen kiss with Banks, which was cut away from in the movie, is the best onscreen kiss she's ever had. There really isn't a ton of great bisexual representation in cinema, and it would be so joyous to see these two lead a movie of their own. "Magic Mike's Last Dance," in theaters this weekend, might be the end of the "Magic Mike" saga, but that doesn't mean there can't be a spin-off about some of the other characters in this expansive world of exotic dancing. There's a reality TV series based on the franchise, so why not a funny, feminist romantic comedy about Rome and Paris? Heck, make them part of a throuple with someone named London!
There are a lot of things to love about the "Magic Mike" franchise and especially "XXL," but I'll never forget the sheer joy I felt watching these two women steal their scenes in the movie while being seriously hot wish fulfillment. Give them a movie, give them a TV series, just give me more Paris and Rome!