The Magical Mike Of Oz

by Susan Elizabeth Shepard

Magic Mike XXL is a great heroic quest movie, and as I was falling asleep the other night, I realized that it has much in common with another classic, The Wizard of Oz. It probably syncs up not with “The Dark Side of the Moon” but with a much better double album, Outkast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.”

Allow me to walk you through the many equivalents:

Mike Lane is Dorothy, who must wander through a colorful and wild land to realize that there’s no place like home, which for him is the stage.

Dallas Rising is the Wicked Witch of the East, because he’s taken out right at the start, which means Mike is now a hero to a ragtag bunch of men.

Tito is the Scarecrow, in search of a brain so he can write a decent business plan for his froyo truck.

Tarzan is the Cowardly Lion, in search of courage so he can pursue his art.

Big Dick Richie is the Tin Man, in search of a heart inside a woman who also has a vagina that can handle his enormous penis.

Ken is Toto, because he’s adorable like a puppy and connected with nature.

Club Domina is Munchkinland, where everything turns colorful all of a sudden.

Malik is the Munchkin Mayor.

The Drunk Moms at Nancy’s mansion are the Flying Monkeys and the Poppy Field, respectively, where the guys can’t help but fall asleep.

Zoe is a Munchkin, because she is small and diversionary, and they both like bullshit sweets like red velvet cake and lollipops.

Myrtle Beach is Emerald City, the destination at the end of the yellow brick road, paved with a tsunami of dollar bills instead of gold bars.

Rome is Oz, who wields power from within an enormous castle.

Paris is Glinda the Good Witch, who does a magical favor for the strippers at the convention.

Tampa is Kansas, Mike’s dreary home but also the place where he became Magic Mike.

“Pony” is “Over The Rainbow,” a timeless song that is the musical heart of the film and leaves not a dry eye in the house.

The stage is the pair of ruby slippers, because it transports Mike as if by…magic.

Susan Elizabeth Shepard has two jobs and lives in Portland, OR.