The steamy private dance that Maxandra (Salma Hayek) receives in Magic Mike's Last Dance not only showcases the off-the-charts chemistry happening between her and Mike (Channing Tatum), but also secretly reveals Magic Mike 3's real meaning. Mike agrees to the solo dance because even though he's able to scrape by as a bartender after losing his furniture business, he can't pass up the high price Max is willing to pay for his services. He's even more surprised when the wealthy socialite offers him an even bigger sum to come with her to London and direct a steamy show in the West End.
In each Magic Mike movie, Mike has made a career out of anticipating what women want, but he's not prepared for someone like Max who can purchase whatever she wants but still finds her life unfulfilling. Soon, the working-class dancer is sleeping in her luxury penthouse as he tries to assemble a brand-new crew of dancers and find out how to please her. To complicate matters, Max's estranged husband isn't thrilled with Mike being around their impressionable young daughter, nor the changes he sees going on in Max.
RELATED: All 7 Spinoffs Set Up By Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Mike's Dance For Max In Magic Mike 3 Encourages Her To Choose For Herself
Ever since receiving Mike's private dance in Magic Mike 3, Max feels empowered to choose what she actually wants in life. While at first, she was unsure about even approaching him with the idea, the act of asking for what she wants and getting it encourages her to reach for more. Unhappily married to Richard but devoted to the theater where he first saw her perform, she wants to transform The Rattigan with Mike's dance sequences, but worries if she's courageous enough to do so with all of British society looking down on her.
Mike's dance awakens something deep inside Max in more ways than one, and as the pair work together on a new show that will have the West End buzzing, she finds herself embracing change even while she's still afraid. The entire time, instead of giving Max what he thinks she wants, Mike lets Max decide that for herself. There are growing pains, however, as her desire proves to be as mercurial as her moods. Nevertheless, she values the fact that Mike gives her agency in a way that Richard never has.
Mike Knows What Women Want (To Feel Empowered)
Throughout the Magic Mike trilogy, Mike has been able to satisfy thousands of screaming women by giving them what they want; a sizzling show with plenty of hot dancers. After getting so close to Max as her private dancer, he starts to realize that what he really gives women is the power to feel like they're in control of their own lives. Soon, the show takes on a new shape as it becomes focused on one central theme: female empowerment.
Like Max, Isabella, the heroine of the transmogrified "Isabella's Ascension," finds that she doesn't have to choose between love and fortune but has a third option – to simply enjoy the many men in her life as she sees fit. The character becomes a surrogate for the feelings of many women in the audience, who aren't just enthralled by what they see, but also inspired to go out and take what they want from life. In the end, Mike has learned an important lesson about using respect and empowerment to please women, and because of it, he finally gets the stable romantic relationship he's always wanted.
MORE: Everything We Know About Magic Mike 4
