Red Rocket - (2021)
Mikey is a kind of no-hoper with nothing going for him, and is the kind of guy who will show up on the doorstep of his estranged ex begging for a place to stay, with no money and no prospects - but there is one thing about him which sets him apart. Mikey was once a porn star, so he sees himself as somewhat removed from his white trash roots. In this film we see him hustle a 17 year-old, gorgeous donut vendor - hoping she's his ticket back into the industry, all the while prevailing on his poor put-upon partner to keep a roof over his head. I loved The Florida Project, and here Sean Baker goes into the same dark corners to, once again, linger and not shy away from the complex truths carefully tucked away in the numerous dwellings of those "basket of deplorables" seemingly estranged from reality and a healthy lifestyle. Mikey is a dirtbag, but he's the kind of dirtbag who receives beatings instead of handing them out - he's a cheater and small-time hustler who revels in what most of us would be ashamed of.
Red Rocket has a daring ending that truly subverts expectations, and it has a towering and eminently praise-worthy performance from Simon Rex as Mikey Saber - but most of the cast is perfectly tuned to what Baker is creating. There are more good characters than I can count on one hand. It's hard (perhaps impossible) to top The Florida Project, but this is another worthy addition to Baker's catalogue of creations.
8/10
Mikey is a kind of no-hoper with nothing going for him, and is the kind of guy who will show up on the doorstep of his estranged ex begging for a place to stay, with no money and no prospects - but there is one thing about him which sets him apart. Mikey was once a porn star, so he sees himself as somewhat removed from his white trash roots. In this film we see him hustle a 17 year-old, gorgeous donut vendor - hoping she's his ticket back into the industry, all the while prevailing on his poor put-upon partner to keep a roof over his head. I loved The Florida Project, and here Sean Baker goes into the same dark corners to, once again, linger and not shy away from the complex truths carefully tucked away in the numerous dwellings of those "basket of deplorables" seemingly estranged from reality and a healthy lifestyle. Mikey is a dirtbag, but he's the kind of dirtbag who receives beatings instead of handing them out - he's a cheater and small-time hustler who revels in what most of us would be ashamed of.
Red Rocket has a daring ending that truly subverts expectations, and it has a towering and eminently praise-worthy performance from Simon Rex as Mikey Saber - but most of the cast is perfectly tuned to what Baker is creating. There are more good characters than I can count on one hand. It's hard (perhaps impossible) to top The Florida Project, but this is another worthy addition to Baker's catalogue of creations.
8/10