While “Magic Mike XXL” has been praised for its feminist themes since its release last week, the film also tackled some stereotypes about older women in the process.
The sequel’s powerful mature female characters, played by both Andie MacDowell, 57, and Jada Pinkett Smith, 43, were central to the plot of the film and countered the standard matriarchal archetype.
“They end up helping these guys along with their journey,” Deadspin senior culture editor Puja Patel told HuffPost Live host Caroline Modaressy-Tehrani. “Andie’s character is presented as a mother, but they’re not mothering these men necessarily, and instead are independent of that and exist beyond that.”
The film’s writers also weren’t afraid to portray the sexual desire of their older characters ― as seen through MacDowell’s relationship with Joe Manganiello, one of the male entertainers in the movie.
“There is a very particular way in which her needs and the needs of one of the Kings of Tampa are simultaneously satisfied,” Criticwire editor Sam Adams added.
Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation about “Magic Mike XXL” here.
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