Stars: Simon Rex, Suzanna Son, Bree Elrod, Brittany Rodriguez, Ethan Darbone | Written by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch | Directed by Sean Baker
Finding himself down and out in Los Angeles, ex-porn star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) decides to crawl back to his hometown of Texas City, Texas, where his estranged wife and mother-in-law are living. Just as this dysfunctional family seems to be making things work, Mikey meets a young woman named Strawberry (Suzanna Son) working the cash register at a local doughnut shop.
I must confess right out of the gate that I’m not a big fan of Sean Baker‘s work. In the months leading up to The Florida Project‘s wide release, all I was hearing was just how much of a masterpiece it was, only for me to eventually watch it and hate it. To this day I genuinely have no idea how it got so...
Finding himself down and out in Los Angeles, ex-porn star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) decides to crawl back to his hometown of Texas City, Texas, where his estranged wife and mother-in-law are living. Just as this dysfunctional family seems to be making things work, Mikey meets a young woman named Strawberry (Suzanna Son) working the cash register at a local doughnut shop.
I must confess right out of the gate that I’m not a big fan of Sean Baker‘s work. In the months leading up to The Florida Project‘s wide release, all I was hearing was just how much of a masterpiece it was, only for me to eventually watch it and hate it. To this day I genuinely have no idea how it got so...
- 10/26/2022
- by Caillou Pettis
- Nerdly
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 [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Red Rocket (2021): A Remarkably Acted and Very Intriguing Film from Director Sean Baker...
Continue reading: Film Review: Red Rocket (2021): A Remarkably Acted and Very Intriguing Film from Director Sean Baker...
- 1/15/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Simon Rex in Sean Baker’s dark comedy Red Rocket. Courtesy of A24.
A shabby man (Simon Rex) stumbles off a bus and heads for a modest house in a little Texas town. He seems confident they will take him in but, despite an outpouring of charm, they refuse to let him set foot in the place. Not only don’t the residents let him in, they order him off their property. You know there is more to this story, and we are about to find out what in Sean Baker’s comedy Red Rocket.
The film opens with Nsync’s song “Bye, Bye, Bye,” which becomes a kind of running theme, in this comic tale. Good-bye is what most of these people want to say to Mikey Saber, the fellow fresh off the bus. Comedian and former MTV star Simon Rex is perfectly cast as smooth-talking Mikey Saber, an...
A shabby man (Simon Rex) stumbles off a bus and heads for a modest house in a little Texas town. He seems confident they will take him in but, despite an outpouring of charm, they refuse to let him set foot in the place. Not only don’t the residents let him in, they order him off their property. You know there is more to this story, and we are about to find out what in Sean Baker’s comedy Red Rocket.
The film opens with Nsync’s song “Bye, Bye, Bye,” which becomes a kind of running theme, in this comic tale. Good-bye is what most of these people want to say to Mikey Saber, the fellow fresh off the bus. Comedian and former MTV star Simon Rex is perfectly cast as smooth-talking Mikey Saber, an...
- 12/25/2021
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The latest desolate, yet splendidly hilarious, comedic offering from writer/director Sean Baker (whose previous works include the formidable The Florida Project [2017] and the equally impressive Tangerine [2015]), Red Rocket, paints a cynical, and often despondent view of a somewhat ubiquitous hustler in Texas trying to make the next big score.
The problem that Mikey (Simon Rex) faces however, are not the obstacles in the way of his plans to make the big score, but rather his own penchant for self-destructive and often just plain stupid behavior. As the film begins, Mikey is returning from a failed life as a porn star in California and is hoping to stay at the home of the wife (Bree Elrod) and mother-in-law (Brenda Deiss) he left behind when he moved out West. In exchange for room and board, Mikey offers to help around the house, which amounts to riding his bike (he can’t...
The problem that Mikey (Simon Rex) faces however, are not the obstacles in the way of his plans to make the big score, but rather his own penchant for self-destructive and often just plain stupid behavior. As the film begins, Mikey is returning from a failed life as a porn star in California and is hoping to stay at the home of the wife (Bree Elrod) and mother-in-law (Brenda Deiss) he left behind when he moved out West. In exchange for room and board, Mikey offers to help around the house, which amounts to riding his bike (he can’t...
- 12/25/2021
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Sean Baker's films often touch on complex aspects of human life and don't shy away from getting into survival's grittiness.
Red Rocket once again proves Baker's skills while highlighting fantastic performances throughout the whole cast.
Simon Rex provides a masterful performance to Baker's excellent directing skills and creates a beautiful film.
The film is set in a small town in 2016, Texas, where Rex's character Mikey Saber returns after doing porn for years.
The whole film sets itself against the 2016 presidential election campaigns. While not a significant plot point in the film, the election as the backdrop made for interesting dynamics and viewpoints.
The writing and directing stood out significantly, making this a great follow-up from Baker's 2017 film The Florida Project.
The two films have a lot in common: they're both character-driven stories, the setting feels like a character, and the style feels intimate.
Simon Rex's character takes center stage in Red Rocket,...
Red Rocket once again proves Baker's skills while highlighting fantastic performances throughout the whole cast.
Simon Rex provides a masterful performance to Baker's excellent directing skills and creates a beautiful film.
The film is set in a small town in 2016, Texas, where Rex's character Mikey Saber returns after doing porn for years.
The whole film sets itself against the 2016 presidential election campaigns. While not a significant plot point in the film, the election as the backdrop made for interesting dynamics and viewpoints.
The writing and directing stood out significantly, making this a great follow-up from Baker's 2017 film The Florida Project.
The two films have a lot in common: they're both character-driven stories, the setting feels like a character, and the style feels intimate.
Simon Rex's character takes center stage in Red Rocket,...
- 11/27/2021
- by Michael T. Stack
- TVfanatic
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards Predictions:
Best Performance By A Cast Ensemble
Updated: Nov 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: More to come…...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards Predictions:
Best Performance By A Cast Ensemble
Updated: Nov 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: More to come…...
- 11/25/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Red Rocket director and co-screenwriter Sean Baker revealed that Mikey Saber, the always-hustling washed-up porn actor who returns to the Texas hometown that wasn’t exactly sorry to see him go, was inspired by real-life adult-film actors he encountered and that he always envisioned as a role for Simon Rex.
“My co-screenwriter, Chris Bergoch and I, we were doing research on a film that we made … called Starlet, which also focused on the adult-film industry,” Baker told Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles, sharing a panel with the film’s actors Rex, Bree Elrod and Suzanna Son.
“Getting to know people within that industry, we realized there was this archetype, because we met a handful of men like Mikey Saber – and they even had a term applied to them within the industry, slang term: ‘suitcase pimp,’” said Baker, whose most recent indie hit was 2017’s The Florida Project. “We found...
“My co-screenwriter, Chris Bergoch and I, we were doing research on a film that we made … called Starlet, which also focused on the adult-film industry,” Baker told Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles, sharing a panel with the film’s actors Rex, Bree Elrod and Suzanna Son.
“Getting to know people within that industry, we realized there was this archetype, because we met a handful of men like Mikey Saber – and they even had a term applied to them within the industry, slang term: ‘suitcase pimp,’” said Baker, whose most recent indie hit was 2017’s The Florida Project. “We found...
- 11/15/2021
- by Scott Huver
- Deadline Film + TV
A24 has shifted the release date for Sean Baker’s film, Red Rocket, pushing it back a week from the 3rd to the 10th of December.
The dark comedy from the director of The Florida Project and Tangerine was previously set to open against Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, Greenwich Entertainment doc Try Harder!, Focus Features’ drama Wolf, Fip’s Tadap, Camille Griffin’s holiday horror pic Silent Night, and Faith Media Distribution’s True to the Game 3.
It’s now set to play against two major awards contenders—Steven Spielberg’s 20th Century Studios remake of West Side Story and Amazon’s Aaron Sorkin pic Being the Ricardos—along with STX Entertainment’s action thriller Violence of Action, starring Chris Pine.
Red Rocket centers on Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown—regardless of the fact that no one wants him back.
The dark comedy from the director of The Florida Project and Tangerine was previously set to open against Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, Greenwich Entertainment doc Try Harder!, Focus Features’ drama Wolf, Fip’s Tadap, Camille Griffin’s holiday horror pic Silent Night, and Faith Media Distribution’s True to the Game 3.
It’s now set to play against two major awards contenders—Steven Spielberg’s 20th Century Studios remake of West Side Story and Amazon’s Aaron Sorkin pic Being the Ricardos—along with STX Entertainment’s action thriller Violence of Action, starring Chris Pine.
Red Rocket centers on Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown—regardless of the fact that no one wants him back.
- 11/8/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
"I'm not afraid to fight you!" A24 has revealed the first official trailer for the film Red Rocket, the latest from Sean Baker which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It also stopped by the Telluride, Deauville, San Sebastián, and New York Film Festivals this year, and opens in theaters starting this December. Red Rocket is about a washed up, low-life porn star actor named Mikey Saber who returns to his hometown in Texas and tries to move back in with his wife. But no one really wants him there or likes him much. "The audacious new film from writer-director Sean Baker, starring Simon Rex in a magnetic, live-wire performance." The cast includes Suzanna Son, Bree Elrod, Brenda Deiss, Ethan Darbone, Brittney Rodriguez, and Judy Hill. This is a very good flick; even if it's awkward and cringe and this guy is a slimy bastard, Baker makes...
- 10/5/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
As usual, Telluride Film Festival has unveiled their 2021 lineup just moments before the event gets underway. Taking place from Thursday, September 2 through Monday, September 6, 2021, the lineup features Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, as well as Cannes highlights Bergman Island and Red Rocket, and more.
See the lineup below.
The Automat (d. Lisa Hurwitz, U.S., 2021) In person: Lisa Hurwitz
Becoming Cousteau (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2021) In person: Liz Garbus
Belfast (d. Kenneth Branagh, U.K., 2021) In person: Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan
Bergman Island (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany/Sweden, 2021) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve
Bitterbrush (d. Emelie Mahdavian, U.S., 2021) In person: Emelie Mahdavian, Colie Moline
C’Mon C’Mon (d. Mike Mills, U.S., 2021) In person: Mike Mills,...
See the lineup below.
The Automat (d. Lisa Hurwitz, U.S., 2021) In person: Lisa Hurwitz
Becoming Cousteau (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2021) In person: Liz Garbus
Belfast (d. Kenneth Branagh, U.K., 2021) In person: Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan
Bergman Island (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany/Sweden, 2021) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve
Bitterbrush (d. Emelie Mahdavian, U.S., 2021) In person: Emelie Mahdavian, Colie Moline
C’Mon C’Mon (d. Mike Mills, U.S., 2021) In person: Mike Mills,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Sean Baker blew audiences away when he arrived in Cannes with the gorgeous Florida Project, so his latest feature, showing in Cannes in the main competition, was one of the most eagerly awaited films of the festival. And while it contains elements that will be familiar to those who have watched his previous films, Red Rocket lacks one essential ingredient to bind and those elements and make them rise to those anticipated heights.
Some of Baker’s trademark filmmaking is here, in particular the absolutely sumptuous colours that light up the screen. The candy-coloured houses and stores are so vibrant and cartoonish that it seems impossible they exist in real life, yet Baker seeks them out and uses them to beautiful chromatic effect. Here, though, the film is grainier than in his previous work.
The story centres on a man Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) who arrives in Texas City, stony broke and beaten up.
Some of Baker’s trademark filmmaking is here, in particular the absolutely sumptuous colours that light up the screen. The candy-coloured houses and stores are so vibrant and cartoonish that it seems impossible they exist in real life, yet Baker seeks them out and uses them to beautiful chromatic effect. Here, though, the film is grainier than in his previous work.
The story centres on a man Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) who arrives in Texas City, stony broke and beaten up.
- 7/14/2021
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In showbiz, they have awards for everything — Oscars, Golden Globes and, of course, the Palme d’Or. Adult film actor Mikey Davies, aka “Mikey Saber,” has five Avn Awards, and he creates opportunities to humble-brag about them constantly now that he’s back in Texas City, the tiny Gulf Coast town he and girlfriend Lexi left together shortly after high school. They got married, moved to Los Angeles, and made a decent living shooting porn together for a time. But that was roughly 20 years ago, and now, Mikey has fallen on hard times. Or limp times, as the case may be.
There must be dozens, if not hundreds, of American indie films about young people escaping a dead end like Texas City and heading east or west, where opportunity lies. Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” (the director’s first film to compete for the top prize at Cannes) is about...
There must be dozens, if not hundreds, of American indie films about young people escaping a dead end like Texas City and heading east or west, where opportunity lies. Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” (the director’s first film to compete for the top prize at Cannes) is about...
- 7/14/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Former porn star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) might be “blessed” — at least according to the sore underage girl he’s grooming during a post-coital chat in the flatbed of her pickup truck — but the reality of the situation is that the guy is nothing less than a living curse. He’s a big-dicked, self-obsessed, hyper-opportunistic hex of a man whose puppy dog con artist schtick is so transparent that even naive teenagers can see right through it, which is exactly why people lower their guard and let him. Into their houses; into their panties; into their dreams for the future that Mikey incepts into their heads for his own benefit. And he doesn’t stop trying to weasel his way deeper into any of those things for a single minute of Sean Baker’s utterly singular and weirdly lovable “Red Rocket,” .
It begins with the blaring shriek of Nsync’s...
It begins with the blaring shriek of Nsync’s...
- 7/14/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
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