Film Review: RED ROCKET (2021): A Remarkably Acted and Very Intriguing Film from Director Sean Baker

Red Rocket Review

Red Rocket (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Sean Baker and starring Simon Rex, Suzanna Son, Bree Elrod, Brenda Deiss, Judy Hill, Brittney Rodriguez, Ethan Darbone and Alex Michell.

Red Rocket, directed by Sean Baker (who also co-wrote the screenplay), is so remarkable in what it does right that when it makes a few missteps towards the end, you can almost forgive it. Almost. Baker who is known for his excellent 2017 drama, The Florida Project, helps create two of the most interesting and memorable recent cinematic characters in Red Rocket. Simon Rex and Suzanna Son portray two very different types of people who forge a relationship which spirals out of control because of one of their very deceptive ways in Baker’s latest dramatic film. Rex and Son turn in two of 2021’s best performances and make Red Rocket a very intriguing, wild roller coaster ride of a film in which the more Rex’s character, Mikey, lies and assumes, the deeper he gets into serious trouble. By film’s end, there is no turning back for Mikey.

Rex’s Mikey is a former porn star who returns to his wife Lexi (the excellent Bree Elrod) in a small Texas town as the film opens. Lexi and her mother (Brenda Deiss) don’t want Mikey around but when he agrees to give them rent money to live with them, the struggling Lexi and her mom give him a chance to redeem himself for his shady past. In a hilarious series of job interviews, Mikey tells prospective employers about his former job as a porn actor and, of course, nobody will hire him for legitimate work. So, Mikey goes to sell drugs for an old acquaintance (Judy Hill) and, as a result, Mikey is able to show Lexi and her mom some much needed cash.

Although it takes some time for her character to come in to the picture, Suzanna Son plays the most pivotal role to the film’s success. Mikey takes Lexi and her mom to a donut shop where they meet a much younger counter girl who goes by the name Strawberry (Son). Mikey rushes the visit to the donut shop in order to immediately come back to talk alone with the teenage Strawberry with whom Mikey develops a very unhealthy fascination for. There is a significant age difference between Mikey (who is most likely in his 40’s) and Strawberry who is just about 18 years old. However, Mikey’s charm wins over Strawberry as he spins a series of lies about working in the entertainment industry and living in a very elite part of town. Strawberry drives him to a mansion type home after they get together but Mikey just rides his bicycle back to where he really lives—he lives with people who he is deceiving in order to try to create a new life for himself. Mikey also makes Strawberry break up with her boyfriend who is around her own age.

Mikey Saber is Simon Rex’s character’s former stage name in the film. This picture begins to focus in on Mikey’s attempts to deceive Strawberry and drive her in to the porn industry in order for Mikey to make a profit for himself and get away from his wife. We don’t really know how Mikey feels about Strawberry other than that he wants to get her into the porn industry and have sex with her periodically. As portrayed by Son, the character of Strawberry is naive and actually grows to like Mikey as a person. She doesn’t realize that pretty much everything he is telling her about himself is a lie other than the fact that he was actually a porn star. It becomes frustrating to watch the film as these two characters forge a relationship based on lies. The beauty of the film is how we feel for both characters. We feel bad for Rex’s character who is so desperate, he’ll do anything to get what he wants but we feel more for Strawberry who digs herself in deeper the more time she spends with Mikey.

Unfortunately, Baker takes the film too far towards the end as Mikey gets involved in a serious incident with a neighbor (Ethan Darbone). The ultimate results of this accident simply ring false. The major problem is the decision the neighbor makes in the picture which is totally unbelievable and shreds some major credibility to the plot.

Another issue with the film is that the picture is desperately missing a confrontation scene between Rex’s and Son’s characters where the cards are put on the table. Instead, Baker leaves the audience to draw their own conclusions regarding their relationship.

That said, the film creates a very compelling basic premise. One can wonder about twenty minutes into the film just how the filmmakers are going to make this idea stretch to a two-hour plus film but by the time the movie gets to the sixty-minute mark, you won’t want it to end. That’s because of the turns by Rex and Son who carry the weight of this movie on their shoulders. Rex is believable and energetic as the liar who is manipulating his wife and her mother for a place to live while he tries to start a new, better life for himself. Son is perhaps award nomination worthy as the innocent girl who takes wild risks that put her into a dead end relationship that will ultimately change her life forever.

Another high point of the film is the small role of Ms. Phan who manages the donut shop where Strawberry works. As played by Shih-Ching Tsou, there are a number of funny scenes where she comments on Mikey’s presence in the donut store. Tsou steals some scenes throughout the picture with hilarious results.

Red Rocket is so frustrating to watch at times but it keeps the viewer hooked for almost its entire running time. Not everything that happens between Strawberry and Mikey is depressing. There are some genuine moments of connection between them. It’s just that the lies that Mikey has told have dampened any hope of a real relationship developing. Or have they? You must see the film to see how you feel.

Baker’s new movie is an assured, powerful and, sometimes, laugh-out-loud funny story. Elrod and Deiss more than hold their own beside Rex. Elrod gets some moments of confrontation with Rex’s Mikey that are realistic and well portrayed. Despite its flaws, Red Rocket is a very good film. It will make you question your own values and decide for yourself just how despicable Mikey really is. I sort of liked that the film lets you draw your own conclusion but only wished that confrontation scene between Mikey and Strawberry was there for better or worse. But, you can’t have everything I suppose. Nevertheless, this is a film well worth seeing.

Rating: 8/10

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