Never Forget Joe Manganiello’s Iconic Gas Station Strip Scene Now That ‘Magic Mike XXL’ is on Netflix

Perhaps you’ve heard the recommendation that Magic Mike’s Last Dance is streaming on digital platforms now, offered to purchase or lease on “premium video on demand,” aka that thing where you pay way too much money to watch a recently-released theatrical movie at home early. (Right now, the movie costs $24.99 to buy, and $19.99 to lease, on platforms like Amazon Prime.) Luckily, if you’re not willing to fork over the cash, you can still get your fix of Channing Tatum’s oiled abs for free, because Magic Mike XXL is now streaming on Netflix. And that means it’s time to revisit the best Magic Mike scene of all time: Joe Manganiello stripping in a gas station.

In case you’ve forgotten about this masterpiece of a scene, it is quite possibly the most pure, most joyful striptease of all time. You barely need any context to appreciate it. (This is true for quite a few scenes in this surprisingly artistic, thoughtful sequel directed by Gregory Jacobs.) All you need to know is that Manganiello is a professional stripper named “Big Dick” Richie, and he’s been challenged by his fellow male strippers to get the grumpy cashier at a gas station to smile.

Richie walks into the Minimart, and, serendipitously, hears the tell-tale opening notes of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” come on over the store’s speakers. After an uneasy glance at the clerk’s stony expression (played perfectly by actor Lindsey Moser), Richie throws himself into a bold stripping routine. Remember, the goal here isn’t to arouse, necessarily, it’s simply to make this girl smile. He gets her attention by dramatically tearing open a bag of Cheetos, timed at the exact moment Nick Carter drops that first “I want it that method.” From there, Manganiello makes his way over to the Pepsi fridge (note the seamless product placement!) and really starts to get it on.

At this point, all of Richie’s boys, including Channing Tatum, are at the gas station window cheering him on. It’s really this cheer section that makes the scene so delightful. When Manganiello grabs a bottle of water and begins rubbing it sensually all over his body, Tatum nods his head on the sideline as if he’s silently egging on his favorite sports team. Then Manganiello goes for in for the kill: He pops the water bottle right in front of his crotch, squirting it every where in the perfect, suggestive thrust.

His cheer section on the sidelines goes absolutely wild. Tatum throws his hands above his head and punches the air in celebration, as if his boy just sunk an impossible-to-sink three-pointer. But still, no smile from the straight-faced clerk. Finally, Manganiello strips his sit and gets down on the ground in front of the check-out counter. He humps the floor, then hops back to his feet, and confidently asks, “How much for the Cheetos and water?”

Finally, finally—just as the song reaches its crescendo—the clerk cracks a smile. She laughs, even. And the boys on the sidelines completely lose their minds when they see it.

They scream, they cheer, they hug, they jump up and down. Tatum once again punches the air in victory. All because they are so freakin’ happy to see that smile.

It’s truly a beautiful moment, and it’s impossible not to smile yourself while you see it. All these hunky beefcakes want is to make some underpaid, bored gas station clerk smile. They want it so, so much. There’s something so lovely and pure about that. I admit, I haven’t yet watched Magic Mike’s Last Dance, but I find it hard to believe any scene in the motion picture could perhaps top this one. Sorry to Steve Soderbergh, but the franchise has already peaked with this minute. Nothing will ever be better than the Magic Mike XXL gas station strip scene, and now you can watch and rewatch it on Netflix whenever you desire.