Take out all the nudity and I goddamn guarantee the ratings for this pile of long-winded crap would drop considerably. If you want to see people having sex with a terrible plot line (or no plot at all), just watch actual porn instead.

They were all quite unlikable characters. [spoiler]Hell, the guy you’re supposed to be rooting for is a rapist and that’s shown as if it’s no biggie.[/spoiler]

I’d say its overall high ratings and popularity despite its lack of a good story is definitely at least in part due to being, “a product of its time,” because it was essentially a way to watch a soft-core porn without going to the curtained section of the video store. Basically, nobody heard about this and then rented it from their local Blockbuster based on their interest in the plot alone.

I gave the movie, _Magic Mike_, a rating of a 1, for reference. Sure, the gyrating male form was fun to see at times, but it was overall a big bore. That to say, my criticism here isn't just about an insecure woman losing her mind over men enjoying female titillation. I admittedly am an insecure woman, but I can and do very much enjoy erotic thrillers from time to time. This just ain't it. They worked so hard on the "thrills" that they forgot to put in the "thrill" past all the skin screen time. I strongly feel that if all those scenes were implied rather than so explicitly shown, the majority would likely recognize this for the absurd bore of a film that it really is.

Perhaps some of the hype is merely nostalgia as well? I didn’t watch this back in the day at the height of its popularity, as I’ve read so many who gush about it did.

I’m so very grateful to have found so many other comments/reviews (mostly on IMDb, not here) that reflect my own feelings. It's nice not to feel alone!