Red Rocket review – a fascinating story of sleaze
Like 2017’s Oscar nominated The Florida Project, director Sean Baker once again deals with people at the other side of The American Dream in a story that is miles away from anything you’ll currently see at the cinema.
Simon Rex stars as Mikey, a former LA porn star who returns to his hometown in Texas broke and out of ideas. He begs his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) to take him in, and starts to hustle around town using his charm to cajole and double cross. Slipping right back into his former job selling pot, Mikey makes friends and even reconciles with Lexi, before old habits and an affair with 17-year-old waitress Strawberry (Suzanna Son) threaten to derail his resurgence.
There’s something fascinating about watching a character who is beyond redemption, and Baker carves a weird world around his sleazy protagonist. Mikey returns to a town where the people exist through the cracks like weeds, figuring out their plans day by day and trying to evade the blazing Texas heat. Baker doesn’t run for shade, however, giving his film a sun-bleached palette complemented by trashy pop songs like the N*Sync classic that opens the film. His cast, largely made up of non-actors that Baker discovered, give the same lived-in feel that made his breakthrough film Tangerine so compelling.
Rex’s story is almost as fascinating as Mikey’s. A former MTV VJ, rapper, and star of the Scary Movie franchise, he fits right into Baker’s history of casting the right people rather than the right actors. Rex’s authenticity is the fuel that keeps the film going, consistently towing the line between loveable and punchable. He’s sincere in the way he mistreats people, such as his genuine affection for Strawberry. It’s hard to cheer for him, but after a couple of hours of his hyped-up hubris, you end up hoping he gets out of his various jams unscathed.
Red Rocket ties itself in knots toward the end, a common pitfall for any film about a scoundrel. Nevertheless, it’s another slice of Ugly Americana from a one of the most individual voices in American filmmaking.
Red Rocket is in cinemas from 11th March