Happy Birthday, Channing Tatum: Five of our favorite performances
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Channing Tatum arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Robert Smith/Patrick McMu (Getty Images)
If April 26 feels like an especially magical day to you, there’s a good reason: It’s the birthday of Magic Mike himself.
Channing Tatum was born on April 26, 1980, making this the 44th birthday of one of the world’s most charming movie stars.
An Alabama native, Tatum rocketed to fame with his performance in the dance movie "Step Up;" his skills as a dancer have come in handy in many of his films.
But he’s more than a guy who can do some cool spins and flips. Read on for more of our favorite Channing Tatum performances.
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Magic Mike XXL
Loosely inspired by Tatum’s own experiences as an exotic dancer, the first "Magic Mike" is an entertaining drama, but for our money, it’s far surpassed by its goofier, more earnest sequel. In "Magic Mike XXL," retired dancer Mike Lane – now living out his dream of designing and building custom furniture – rediscovers his love for the healing power of stripping when he takes "one last ride" with his fellow dancers, the remaining "Kings of Tampa."
It’s silly, sexy, and extremely sweet – and you don’t need to have seen the first "Mike" to know what’s going on. Winning supporting performances from Joe Manganiello, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Matt Bomer, Elizabeth Banks, Andie MacDowell, Kevin Nash, and the late Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss ensure that the movie never stops being less than charming, but it’s Tatum’s show from start to finish. One of the best comedies of the 2010s, "Magic Mike XXL" is a must-watch for anyone who likes fun. Or abs. Or both!
Where to watch: "Magic Mike XXL" is streaming on Hulu.
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21 Jump Street
An adaptation of the TV series of the same name, "21 Jump Street" take the premise of the series and gives it a comedic spin. Tatum and Jonah Hill star as former classmates Schmidt and Jenko who, though very different from each other, become friends while training to become police officers. Now partners and pals, the pair wind up as part of the titular police initiative, which places youthful-looking cops undercover in high schools and gangs to investigate drug trafficking.
But when they return to high school, they find their roles have shifted – Hill’s brainy character suddenly finds that his smarts land him with the in-crowd, while the athletic yet academically underachieving Jenko (Tatum) makes friends with the geeky kids. It’s a relentlessly charming action comedy, with great lead performances from Hill and Tatum, as well as sharp supporting turns from Brie Larsen, Dave Franco, Ice Cube, Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman, Chris Parnell, Ellie Kemper, Jake Johnson and many others.
Where to watch: Both "21 Jump Street" and its sequel, "22 Jump Street," are available to rent through Apple TV.
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She’s the Man
"She’s the Man" joined the distinguished company of films like "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Clueless" when it premiered in 2006, in that it successfully adapted a work of classic literature into a charming, endlessly rewatchable teen comedy.
In this retelling of Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night," Amanda Bynes plays Viola Hastings, a soccer player who takes the place of her twin brother at an elite boarding school after the girls’ soccer team is cut at her own school. Upon arrival, "Sebastian" promptly develops a major crush on her roommate, Duke (Tatum), who also happens to be the captain of the soccer team. Hijinks ensue. While the movie itself is a bit uneven in spots, the winning performances of Bynes and Tatum render it irresistible, despite its flaws – and set Tatum up for a number of successful rom-com leading turns (like the next movie on our list).
Where to watch: "She’s the Man" is streaming on Paramount+ and is also available through Hoopla, a digital service available through many libraries throughout the country.
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The Lost City
If you want to solidify your status as a rom-com heavy hitter, there’s no better way to do it than to star opposite Sandra Bullock. In "The Lost City," Bullock plays Loretta Sage, a writer of romance-adventure novels who is also recovering from the death of her husband. To promote her latest novel, she’s sent to do events with Alan Caprison (Tatum), the man who does the cover modeling for Dash McMahon, the love interest in her novels.
But then she gets kidnapped by a nefarious billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe), and Alan, who has a big fat crush on Loretta, decides to try to rescue her with the help of a former Navy SEAL named Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt). It’s a rollicking adventure story and a very funny rom-com, made all the more enjoyable by Bullock and Tatum’s chemistry and the pair’s affinity for physical comedy. (There’s a scene with a hammock that’s unforgettable.)
Where to watch: "The Lost City" is streaming on Hulu and Paramount+.
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Jupiter Ascending
It’s not easy to explain the premise of "Jupiter Ascending," an over-the-top space opera from the creators of "The Matrix" and "Sense8." Seriously, try reading just the first paragraph of the Wikipedia summary and you’ll see what we mean. The short version is this: Jupiter (Mila Kunis) is a cleaning woman who discovers she’s the target of some extraterrestrial foes, and survives an attack thanks to the intervention of Caine (Tatum), a space soldier sent to find her by one of three feuding royal alien siblings.
Like a lot of the Wachowskis’ post-"Matrix"output, "Jupiter Ascending" is the sort of gonzo swing that definitely isn’t for everyone. But once you embrace the unexpectedly earnest tone of this sci-fi fairy tale romance, it has plenty of rollicking action fun to offer. Its initial critical response was less than warm, but the visual effects were rightly praised at the time, and it has since become something of a cult classic.
Where to watch: "Jupiter Ascending" is streaming free on Tubi.
And a few more for good measure
Also worth checking out: Lord and Miller's "The LEGO Movie," in which Tatum voices Superman; "Kingsman: the Golden Circle," in which the titular British spy-types have to partner with an American agency, staffed by you-know-who; "This Is the End," an apocalyptic Hollywood comedy in which Tatum has a particularly memorable cameo; "Hail, Caesar!", a Coen Brothers comedy which includes a very memorable tap number performed by Tatum; and intense sports drama "Foxcatcher," which stars Tatum and Mark Ruffalo along an almost unrecognizable Steve Carell.