Three For Four

Recently I noticed three Steven Soderbergh films were playing on my cable system at the same time--Traffic (2000), Contagion (2011) and Magic Mike (2012). Odder still, according to my information button, all were four-star films, the highest rating.

Okay, Traffic I can see.  It was a solid hit and a highly-regarded film that made a lot of top ten lists. It also won a bunch of Academy Awards, including Best Director for Soderbergh.  I'd expect a four-star rating, or at least am not shocked by it.

But Contagion?  It was reasonably well-received, and probably made a profit, but is anyone calling it a classic? It's a look at how a serious new epidemic might spread.  You might call it a thriller, but Soderbergh keeps his distance, telling the story in a fairly clinical manner.  It may have been his intention, but many critics felt it kept the audience at arm's length.  Three stars seems about right.

And Magic Mike?!  It's a low-budget film about the world of male stripping.  It was a surprise hit, and while some critics thought it was better than it had any right to be, it's still a fairly silly work whose main attraction is showing male skin.  I can see it as a camp classic, perhaps, but not much more.  I would have expected two stars, three tops.

Does Soderbergh have some friends working at my cable company?