Today marks the release of Magic Mike, the big, whopping, man-o-sex, pulsing abs and buttock show that promises to be a thing of sensational acting and even better lookee-loo eyeball cocaine. Ok. Maybe not quite the first thing, even though the movie’s racked up a Stripper Candy Spectacular 79% on the tomatometer. So this may mean something not terrible for walking butter stick, Channing Tatum, right? Apparently.
We never would have predicted, even with Steven Soderbergh’s help, that Channing Tatum would make a film that wouldn’t completely tank at the box office. And not only that, ChanTates would turn himself into a consistently bankable star. Like for serious. Boy has about seven movies on the horizon in addition to the three already in the hopper for 2012 thus far. That’s more than we can say for a lot of burgeoning actors who came on the scene six years ago.
What is it that studios like about him? We’re thinking it may have something to do with what we’re going to call the “Marilyn Monroe Factor.” No, no, we’re not suggesting that Tatum is an icon who will stand the test of time just yet. What we’re suggesting is that like Marilyn, Channing doesn’t shy away from his sex appeal. He knows what it is and has no problem using it to its full advantage. Some would say that Monroe eschewed her sexy, goddessness. We think that’s far from the truth. She didn’t want it to be all anyone saw about her. And undoubtedly she wanted to stretch and reach in her acting craft, but she knew how to turn on the sex appeal and smartly play to an audience; to make herself unforgettable. And this is something Tatum gets. While the Brad Pitts and George Clooneys in Hollywood will shy away from the “sexy man” status, often opting to be modest about their looks, and even embarrassed when it’s brought up, Tatum will go head-long and say, “You like this?” [muscle flex] “I’m sexy?” [eye smolder] “Oh, yeah, I can move my body.” [booty pop] How is this any different than Marilyn giggling, sexily, demurely, and coyly with the skirt of her white dress billowing around her?
That moment was no accident. Dancing and cooing to “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” is similar to the cultivated dance moves Tatum performs. It is meant to entice, to gain attention, and to stand out. And from what we hear of Magic Mike he’s pretty brilliant at it.
From today’s reviews, we can say unequivocally this won’t be Tatum’s Boogie Nights. It doesn’t have the depth, nuance, or gritty showmanship, but he is attempting to follow a path set forth by Mark Wahlberg who began his career shirtless, pantless, and smugly daring anyone not call him the sexiest man in the room at the time. And as his appeal has grown, and the case was made that perhaps Wahlberg could be a serviceable dramatic actor, he covered up. Somehow we get the notion if it called for it, Tatum would strip off that shirt anytime if asked, even if the requests come fewer and farther between. That’s not because he appears to be that vain, but because you get the idea that he truly is just that thrilled to be acting, and there’s a level of boyish “aiming to please” that works for him.
So what we’ve got is a guy who’s attempting to turn himself into a quaint little actor. Soderbergh with Magic Mike found a way to tap into what’s more deeply rooted beneath the flash and sizzle, and found what perhaps led Tatum to leave the real world of exotic dancing but use it as a launching pad into Hollywood. Critics are hailing his portrayal as the tired, struggling stripper with a heart of gold, as something authentic and even riveting. Heh. Probably never thought you’d hear riveting about the guy who scowled more than he spoke in GI Joe. He’s now also building on an eye-catching comedic turn in 21 Jump Street, and a formidable action role in Soderbergh’s star-studded, Haywire. Good golly, Channing Tatum may be one to watch.
Will he one day soon find his Don’t Bother to Knock, The Asphalt Jungle, Clash by Night, Bus Stop, or The Misfits, as Monroe did when she was hailed as a pretty decent dramatic artist? It may not be as much of a long shot. But like Marilyn, many underestimated and misjudged her amount of talent as we’ve done in the past with Wahlberg and now perhaps Tatum. However, if you’ve learned nothing else from Hollywood, you’ve gathered that you’ll never know when the girl with the great gams, or the guy with the great abs could end up real A-list actors.
