Magic Mike XXL: Less thinking more thongs

Matt Bomer as Ken, and Channing Tatum as Mike in Magic Mike XXL which opens on July 9. Photo / AP

New characters and plot centred on road-tripping strippers custom-made for laughs

Are you expecting Magic Mike XXL to be anything like the original 2012 sleeper hit?

Then you need to stop, because the two movies share almost nothing in common. If the first was designed to make you think, with an occasionally serious take on the pitfalls of climbing the ladder to success, the sequel is specially engineered to delight bachelorette parties. In place of moral quandaries, XXL gives us goofballs in thongs.

The movie is more fun than the sum of its random parts, but you have to manage expectations to enjoy the full giddy effect. In light of that, here's what you need to know about XXL, especially if you're a Magic Mike fan.

The cast has changed

Sorry, McConaugholics. Swaggering emcee Dallas doesn't make an appearance in XXL. Nor does Alex Pettyfer's "the Kid".

Channing Tatum is still around, given that he's the title character. And he's joined by the hard-bodied performers who barely spoke during the first movie. Now we get to know them better. Matt Bomer's Ken turns out to be a new-agey Reiki master who quotes Oprah. Tito (Adam Rodriguez) is an aspiring frozen yoghurt artisan; the first movie's drug-dealing troublemaker, Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias), is no longer a problematic instigator. Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello) is just looking for that special someone who isn't scared off by his colossal manhood and Kevin Nash's Tarzan wants to be a painter.

They're joined by some new additions, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, Amber Heard and Andie MacDowell.

It's not a dark cautionary tale

Drugs caused big problems in Magic Mike. In XXL, a Molly trip leads to one of the most entertaining scenes in the movie. This isn't a story about consequences, unless those consequences are something we can all laugh about later.

There isn't a traditional plot The story moves toward an end goal, sort of. The premise is that the guys have reunited on a road trip for one last hurrah at an annual stripper's convention. After that, they plan to go their separate ways. So they really have to make this count.

This isn't a movie about the destination but a slow-moving journey where old buddies have lewd heart-to-hearts between squeal-inducing hip gyrations.

There isn't a traditional script Reid Carolin, who wrote Magic Mike, also gets credit for the sequel. But the movie feels almost entirely ad-libbed, and not in a graceful way.

The dance version of a musical

Magic Mike XXL exudes the absurd appeal of Mamma Mia!. Its primary goal is to entertain, and every plot point drives us toward another show-stopping number, like when Mike is in his garage welding before getting inspired, by hearing Ginuwine's Pony, to shimmy around his machinery.

Relentlessly positive

The movie is a buddy comedy about male bonding. But the guys aren't afraid to hang out at gay bars or sing the praises of women. The women are various ethnicities, shapes and sizes. Sure, it might all be pandering to its target demographic - women and men who want to see scantily-clad muscle-bound Adonises - but it works.

The big message is that we should all be following our bliss. Each character envisions his future dream job, and the only way the guys can create a memorable final strip performance is to incorporate the things they love the most - painting, singing, what have you - into their routine.

Shout-outs for Soderbergh

Magic Mike director Steven Soderbergh's frequent collaborator Gregory Jacobs took the reins for XXL, and he pays homage to his friend. At least, that's what it looks like. For one thing, the movie stars MacDowell, whose breakthrough was Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape, in 1989. And the final shot looks a lot like Oceans 11 as the camera pans across the guys' faces while they watch fireworks.

Ludicrously entertaining

For all its weirdly stilted dialogue and transparent pro-woman manipulations, the movie is hilarious and endearing. The giddy chatter of movie-goers was nearly deafening after a recent screening.

Metallic banana hammock

Forget the rest - this is all you really need to know.