Red Rocket – Movie Review
128 Minutes, Rated R
Written and Directed by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch
Directed by Sean Baker
Synopsis:
Mikey Saber is a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown, not that anyone really wants him back.
Another day, another A24 release. Normally, as you know, we love A24’s films. They’re quirky, creative, moving, and/or just plain weird.
And that’s awesome.
But…
Red Rocket is only some of those things, and the things it is don’t mesh nearly as well as I would have liked.
Very early in the film, I scribbled the words “Mikey is irredeemable.”
Over the remainder of the 2+ hour run-time, those words were never in doubt, and if they were, it was literally only for a moment, until he opened his mouth in the next scene.
Simon Rex portrays Mikey with gusto, from his weed-dealing interactions to his very-energetic sex scenes with both his ex(?) wife (and also former porn star), Lexi, as well as the seventeen-year-old (eighteen in three weeks, but already legal!) Strawberry, who he envisions as his ticket back into the upper echelons of the adult entertainment industry.
But that’s it.
But there’s literally nothing else going on in this film. Nobody learns. Nobody grows. Nobody becomes more than who they were before Mikey came back.
Least of all, Mikey…
Who ends up back exactly where we find him as the film opens.
Which is sad, because the performances are generally good to very good, it’s shot well. There’s a lot of stuff that could be great here.
But ultimately, the film is exactly what it is. Nothing more. The sum of its parts. I 100% understand why this film has been branded as a festival darling, I really do, and while that normally bodes well, not this time. Not for me, at least.
This film is rated R for a reason. It’s a “hard R” for sex (irony abounds, I know). There’s a lot of sex.
Heck, I love sex. I’m not going all uptight on you, or anything, believe me. But just because there’s sex in a film doesn’t make it good.
The rare disappointment from A24.
Red Rocket hit theaters on December 10, but you may have trouble finding it.
Red Rocket stars Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, and Suzanna Son.
And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:
Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:
VSMP Merch Store
Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!).