A blatant African-American rip-off of Magic Mike, Chocolate City does nothing to hide its origins, name checking Magic Mike more than once, even going as far as to dismiss Magic Mike for being ‘only a movie’ as if Chocolate City is a true-life documentary. It’s not.
Struggling to make ends meet, Katherine McCoy (Vivica A. Fox) is holding down two jobs while praying that her sons stay out of trouble until they can get out of the ghetto. Though grown, both boys still live at home, and neither is very interested in helping out financially. Michael (Robert Ri’chard), will soon graduate from college and works part-time at a diner as a short order cook. Unfortunately, the minimum job hasn’t allowed him to save enough money to get his car fixed, so he’s getting around Los Angeles on his bicycle. Meanwhile, his older brother Chris ((DeRay Davis) is a street hustler with little interest in finding honest employment.
One day, the brothers decide to check out the local gentleman’s club. While there, Michael is approached by the club’s owner (Michael Jai White) about stripping there on Ladies’ Night. Michael hesitates, concerned how his girlfriend (Imani Hakim) and his religious mother might respond to him stripping. However, after witnessing women go wild over the strippers currently working (led by Tyson Beckford!) he decides to give it a spin.
Under the guidance of his brother-turned-promoter, Michael is given the stage name “Sexy Chocolate. At least the filmmakers didn’t go as far as to call him Black Magic Mike! Predictably, he’s quickly making big bucks, but it’s not long before Michael’s life starts falling apart. His grades in college plummet, his girlfriend gets the surprise of her life when she shows up at the club with her girlfriends, and Michael’s mother wonders if the financial gain was worth the loss of personal integrity.
Despite its R-rating, Chocolate City offers up fairly sanitized stripping scenes. The guys are only ever shirtless, with a couple of shots of a partially exposed butt cheek. Their dace moves are stand stuff, found in any club; none of the actors have the moves of Channing Tatum who is a former stripper. However, Chocolate City does deserve credit for showing the more competitive side of male stripping. Unlike Magic Mike, these guys aren’t all friends, and they’re openly jealous of Michael’s success. That said, Chocolate City is missing the fun, and the backstory that made Magic Mike such a hit. Ultimately, Chocolate City is a forgettable piece of fluff.
The only special feature included on the DVD is a blooper reel. Unfortunately, the five-minute long reel doesn’t include anything remarkable.
