I know that not all films are made for all audiences, but it still kinda breaks my heart that this film won’t be seen by a wider audience than so many other films that are utter crap. The director of such great Indies as Tangerine and The Florida Project has once again taken us to the real world of society’s lower class, not for us to look down on them in amusement, but for us to live inside their universe for a couple of hours and get inside their skin.
So, Sean Baker’s latest, Red Rocket takes us to Texas City, TX, where former porn actor Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) has come back home, having washed out in Los Angeles after some years. He’s homeless and jobless, but his first stop at the home of his ex and her mother is just the first stop of many where the charismatic loser will somehow charm his way into what he wants. He moves in.
I’ve never been in prison, but I do know that it is populated with many guys like Mikey – they are hustlers who, in spite of all evidence, still get people to do for them. And then when they’ve gotten what they want, they screw it up and step on their own d#ck and, invariably, get into trouble with the law.
Courtesy: A24
Mikey isn’t necessarily headed for prison, but the first job he gets is dealing Weed for a local matriarch whose kids were his schoolmates. Not to say he hasn’t looked for work, but his disasterous legit job interviews which conclude with him telling prospective employers to “Google me”, and they do and…yeah, his fame as a former porn guy isn’t the impressive resume he thinks it might be. He definitely seems like a guy who end up in prison someday.
There are a few parallel storylines involving his new/old housemates (ex and MIL), and then another where he’s working very hard to seduce a teenaged donut shop employee. And not just that – he sees in her the potential to be Svengali to a career for her in the adult entertainment industry, too.
I only vaguely remembered the name Simon Rex, but let me tell you that this is a fearless multi-dimensional performance that makes us feel like, hate, and pity. There are laughs and smiles, especially thanks to the excellent cast of mostly non-professional actors – real people are a casting specialty of Baker’s.
I know it’s almost impossible, but we are now in mid-December and I have watched virtually all of the awards-contending films of this year, and I absolutely believe Rex’s performance is worthy of awards recognition. Come on Academy voters; be as brave as the people in this film. Be as brave as the Independent Spirit Awards are.
And a shout-out to some amazing actors who did not know that they were amazing actors, namely
Finally this: I hate the movie poster. It’s essentially false adverting, and it’s advertising a movie that wouldn’t even be as good as this one actually is. This isn’t wacky; it isn’t a rom-com.
