Summary

• Stripper movies showcase the artistry and humanity behind exotic dancing, telling compelling stories with a mix of quality.
• Films about stripping often cross over into other forms of dance, offering unique perspectives on larger societal issues.
• Each stripper movie offers an original take on the art form, blending drama and comedy to depict characters navigating the industry.

Long derided by so-called "polite society," stripper movies often pull back the curtain on the exotic dancing industry and show the artistry and humanity behind the business. Whether stripping is merely a gimmick to sell tickets, or the film makes legitimate commentary on the art form, stripper movies have grown and changed as moral standards shift. At their heart, films about stripping use the art form as a backdrop to tell compelling stories, and they often say a lot about larger issues in society.

Many movies about stripping put exotic dance at the forefront of their stories, and those films have offered a mixed bag of quality, from award-winners to notoriously panned flops. Additionally, stripper movies often also cross over into other forms of dance, with some of the best dance movies involving stripping as their main subject. As with any other art form, stripper movies are ultimately about expression, and though there are common plot threads across the subgenre, each offers a compellingly original take on the once controversial profession.

15 Striptease (1996)

Starring Demi Moore

• Stream now on Showtime

The 1990s saw an increased fascination with exotic dance as an art form, and many stripper movies during that era began to take the business seriously. Ex-FBI assistant Erin (Demi Moore) begins stripping to earn money to regain custody of her daughter, but she soon runs afoul of David Dilbeck (Burt Reynolds), a local politician who desires her.

Now a beloved piece of '90s cheese, Striptease was lambasted by critics for its overt melodrama and ham-fisted approach to the art of stripping. Nevertheless, the film never failed to entertain and Moore shined alongside a surprisingly villainous turn for Reynolds.

14 Dancing At The Blue Iguana (2000)

Starring Daryl Hannah

• Stream now on Tubi

Though a bit verbose, Dancing at the Blue Iguana attempted to show the harsh realities of the world of exotic dance, while largely ignoring the art form itself. The indie hit centers on dancers at the Blue Iguana Club (Sandra Oh, Daryl Hannah, Jennifer Tilly, Charlotte Ayanna, and Sheila Kelley) who each yearn for a better life.

Despite being unfair to the profession, the film offered enough compelling storylines to stay interesting, and the acting was top-notch. While many stripper movies try to peel back the veneer and show the "real dancing business", Dancing at the Blue Iguana was hit or miss.

13 Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023)

Starring Channing Tatum

Closing out the trilogy of Magic Mike films, Magic Mike's Last Dance was a mostly satisfying conclusion to the beloved series of stripper movies. Mike (Channing Tatum) has taken to bartending after his business went bust, and he is lured to London by socialite Maxandra (Salma Hayek) to perform once again. Like the previous installments, Last Dance had plenty of scintillating dancing and didn't abandon the human element behind the performers.

However, the story fell flat comparatively and was a more understated conclusion than the trilogy perhaps demanded. Regardless, Magic Mike's Last Dance offered closure for the series that spanned a decade.

12 The Players Club (1998)

Starring LisaRaye McCoy

• Rent or Buy now on Prime Video & Apple TV

Though The Players Club featured a stock-standard story seen in many stripper movies, the details were what made it a legitimately engaging film. Diana (LisaRaye McCoy) strips to support her family while also keeping on the straight and narrow by helping younger strippers make it in the business.

Deftly blending its comedy and its drama, The Players Club featured a stellar cast of Black stars from the late 1990s. Never dipping into melodramatics, Diana's story is both interesting and uplifting, and the story is realistic and fair to those in the profession.

11 From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Starring Salma Hayek

Stripping is only one small part of From Dusk Till Dawn, but it essentially serves as the major turning point for the film. On the run from the law, the Gecko brothers flee to Mexico and find themselves at a bar that is a haven for vampires. From Dusk Till Dawn is a movie that changes genres halfway through, going from a crime thriller to a monster movie. Salma Hayek's lengthy strip sequence was largely meant to titillate the audience, but it also served as the transition in the story where the horror began.

10 Chocolate City (2015)

Starring Robert Ri'chard

One of the biggest complaints about the wildly successful Magic Mike franchise was that it lacked a diverse range of characters, and had an almost exclusively white cast. Chocolate City arrives to rectify that problem and follows Michael (Robert Ri'chard) who has a lucrative career as a stripper but struggles with the stigma of his profession.

While delivering plenty of memorable strip scenes, Chocolate City also touched on the backward way in which large swaths of society look down on strippers. Unlike other stripper movies which show a desperate side to the art form, Chocolate City is a celebration that takes time to make salient points about acceptance.

9 Zola (2021)

Starring Taylour Paige & Riley Keough

Zola is an interesting movie as it is based on a viral Twitter thread from 2015. That original thread was from by Aziah "Zola" King and the story is about Zola, a waitress/stripper who is convinced to take a road trip to Tampa, which descends into chaos. The real facts remain somewhat unbelievable, but the movie only takes the basis of the tweets to form the skeleton of the movie.

The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was up for the Grand Jury Prize and hit theaters in 2021. It was a huge success, earning seven Independent Spirit Awards nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Taylour Paige, who plays Zola, won the Best Female Lead at the awards ceremony.

8 Sin City (2005)

Starring Jessica Alba

Frank Miller's neo-noir comic hit Sin City stumbled a bit on its way to the big screen, but the adaptation ultimately captured the gritty spirit of the famed writer's original vision. Narrated by a mysterious salesman (Josh Hartnett), the film weaves a trilogy of tales involving the city's grimy underbelly. Nancy (Jessica Alba) is shown in a scene to have taken up stripping to make ends meet, and the film has a less-than-flattering view of the profession.

Nevertheless, the non-superhero comic book movie reflected the classic noir films that spawned it, and the unique comic book visuals submerged the viewer in a one-of-a-kind cinematic world.

7 Closer (2004)

Starring Natalie Portman

• Rent or Buy now on Prime Video & Apple TV

Director Mike Nichols weaved a complicated tale of romance and intrigue in Closer and delivered one of the most unique stripper movies as well. An American stripper named Alice (Natalie Portman) moves to London and begins a relationship with Dan (Jude Law), who eventually drifts away from her in pursuit of another woman.

Natalie Portman earned an Oscar nomination for her turn.

The impressive Natalie Portman earned an Oscar nomination for her turn in the film, and the story cleverly uses Alice's stage performances as a symbol of her honesty. Though somewhat muddled, Closer utilized the art of stripping as a way to explore the inner workings of the human mind.

6 The Wrestler (2008)

Starring Marissa Tomei

In The Wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is an aging wrestler who can't leave his lifestyle behind and tries to get his life back together with the help of a stripper named Cassidy (Marissa Tomei). Director Darren Aronofsky juxtaposed the life of the wrestler with that of a stripper, also aging and struggling to keep up with the younger stars coming in.

Ranked highly among Darren Aronofsky's films, The Wrestler scored a slew of Oscar nominations, including for Rourke and Tomei, and the film had a lot to say about the nature of work, with pro wrestling and stripping as a symbol for labor in general.

5 Magic Mike (2012)

Starring Channing Tatum

Stripper movies were somewhat old-hat by the time Magic Mike hit theaters, and it reinvigorated the genre by featuring male strippers at the heart of the story. Mike (Channing Tatum) works as a stripper at night to make money but finds his newfound relationship threatened by the stigma of his chosen profession. What appeared on the surface to be an excuse to show Channing with his shirt off ended up being a compelling story of friendship and acceptance.

This is due to director Steven Soderbergh's keen cinematic vision. While Magic Mike still had loads of exotic dancing, it also had plenty of legitimate love for the professionals in the industry.

4 Showgirls (1995)

Starring Elizabeth Berkley

• Stream now on Paramount+

Director Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls is a notorious piece of '90s pop culture but grew to become a true cult classic upon modern reevaluation. Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley) moves to Las Vegas with the dream of becoming a showgirl and stops at nothing to achieve her goal. Showgirls earned a lot of publicity for its overt sexuality and its strict NC-17 rating which made it a hard sell for many theaters.

Many missed Verhoeven's subtle social satire disguised as erotic thriller melodrama

It received universally negative reviews and many missed Verhoeven's subtle social satire disguised as erotic thriller melodrama. Showgirls became a cult classic on home video, and it has taken a sainted place among stripper movies.

3 Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Starring Channing Tatum

A sequel to 2012's Magic Mike was inevitable because of its tremendous success, and Magic Mike XXL lived up to its name. Mike (Channing Tatum) plans to leave the stripping business, but not before one more big blowout. XXL expanded the cast and added even more scintillating exotic dancing, but it also left plenty of room for the heart, which made the first film so enjoyable. Camaraderie is the theme that pervades the film, and Magic Mike XXL further chipped away at the stigma surrounding stripping.

2 The Full Monty (1997)

Starring Robert Carlyle

• Available to Rent or Buy on Amazon & Apple TV

Long before Magic Mike made male stripping a piece of cinematic history, The Full Monty tackled similar themes in a much more down-to-earth way. A group of unemployed factory workers in England decides to stage a strip show to raise money.

The Full Monty's aspiring strip heroes are a gaggle of regular Joes.

Instead of Hollywood sex symbols, The Full Monty's aspiring strip heroes are a gaggle of regular Joes which helps make the story not only humorous but relatable as well. Touching on issues like body image and depression among men, The Full Monty has taken its place among other classic British comedy movies and even scored a handful of Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

1 Hustlers (2019)

Starring Jennifer Lopez

After decades of stripper movies chipped away at the stigma of the profession, Hustlers arrived to take the subgenre in a new direction entirely. Destiny (Constance Wu) strips to make ends meet, and befriends veteran Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) who has devised a plan to fleece their wealthiest clients. Empowering, playful, and gloriously over-the-top, Hustlers' inclusive approach to stripping was matched by its clever heist plot and brilliant script.

Stripping is the backdrop for the characters to assert and express themselves, and Hustlers makes commentary about gender and class as the entire film is set against the financial crisis of 2008.