What do the guys want? To get married, of course. But almost without fail, the film focuses on giving women what they want, and many of the women on screen are paying to be charmed and then respectfully faux-dominated by a hunk. I’ve seen at least one critic refer to XXL’s gyration scenes as “rapey,” and there’s certainly merit to the discussing how consensual touching works in the land of lap dances. This is in line with the film’s depiction of male entertainers as Cary Grant-level gentlemen when their shirts are on, and Christian Greys trained by Cirque du Soleil when they’re off. When Richie performs the wedding routine toward the end of the film, the actual nuptials segment is sweet and chaste after the altar, though, he straps his fake bride into a sex swing and starts treating her like a jungle gym. So it’s of note that stripperly innovation in XXL involves the ultimate symbol of traditional gender relations and romantic commitment. XXL’s big male-entertainer convention may well turn into a source of storytelling conventions once Hollywood’s imitation machine revs all the way up. Between the Mike franchise and 50 Shades of Grey, we’re watching the formation of a would-be-blockbuster genre, one that celebrates and profits from the sexual appetites of people other than straight men. Yes, XXL is a skintastic sequel with a plot as slight as Donald Glover in a Hugh Hefner robe, designed to cool down 4th of July audiences just like ice-cream toppings do to Adam Rodriguez’s abs at the film’s climax. Sophie Gilbertīefore proceeding, a word about looking for deeper meaning here.