Plenty of adult movies through the years have touted themselves as “porn for women”: the plots are more realistic and romantic, or the sex is softer and “more real.” But with Magic Mike XXXL: A Hardcore Parody, Brad Armstrong and Wicked Pictures tackle some of those cliches and really come through with the goods.

The male-centric cast—featuring Derrick Pierce as title character Mike, Seth Gamble as The Kid Adam, Ryan McLane as Dallas, Ryan Driller as Ken, Dick Chibbles as Tarzan, Tommy Gunn as Richie, Toni Martinez as Tito and Rob Piper as Andre—is uncommon, even in much of the porn geared toward women. Thankfully, each and every member of this cast can act, and successfully portray/parody their counterpart in the mainstream movies. Pierce is charming and endearing as Mike, while McLane nails his Matthew McConaughey impersonation without being annoying or distracting. 

While parodies are not a normal part of Armstrong’s repertoire, it’s evident he took the time to plan and get things right. He picked the perfect cast—including supporting female players Asa Akira, Jessica Drake, Misty Stone (who delivers a hell of a performance and deserves to be given more acting roles) and others. He cast men from the industry who not only can act, but also can dance. (Let’s face it: just because someone can fuck doesn’t mean they can dance, and vice versa.) There are no disappointments in any of the performances, carnal or otherwise. 

Armstrong's script reflects some of the best and most memorable scenes from the mainstream original and its sequel. Of course there are a few “porno” twists and jokes thrown in for good measure, but the script doesn’t just toss in gratuitous dialogue to move from one sex scene to another. It and the sex scenes are integral to one another, which really helps Magic Mike XXXL stand apart not just from other parodies, but from other adult movies in general. 

And Armstrong understood the sex scenes needed to include more focus on the female participants: In the opening sex scene, Pierce spends as much time performing oral on India Summer as she does on him, if not more. And that’s not an isolated incident in this movie. At the same time, the sex scenes don’t just focus on the beautiful women with disembodied penises. The men are appreciated by the camera and angles just as much as the women.

Overall, Magic Mike XXXL has everything needed to make it the perfect movie for couples to enjoy together or women to enjoy alone.