Red Rocket (2021) – Movie Review | Sean Baker | Simon Rex | Most Magnetic Character of the Year
A movie that opens up with NSYNC’s
“Bye Bye Bye” can’t go too wrong.
Servus Freunde, my name is Jimmy Cage and RED ROCKET is the newest
film by indie darling Sean Baker. For me it was my
third movie of his, after the beautiful, heartfelt
and very fresh and authentic last ones, TANGERINE
and THE FLORIDA PROJECT. Baker has an unmistakable
style, that starts with his unconventional stories
and characters, pretty much always people who live
on the outskirts of society, and continues with
his simultaneously tender and crass portrayals. He
has a very empathic eye for his flawed characters
and his movies have this wonderful balance of
humor and drama. They feel real, down to earth,
give you this unglamourous picture of America
and though they have very dark elements in them,
they are still somehow so delightful to watch.
And RED ROCKET certainly is as well. So far it
has only been shown at film festivals and it will
be released in the United States in December and
hopefully elsewhere soon after. I had the chance
to watch it at this year’s Vienna International
Film Festival, where it easily marked one of my
absolute highlights. RED ROCKET tells the story of
Mikey Saber,
star, who returns to his small Texas hometown.
For the next a little bit over two hours
we won’t part his side for even one scene.
Sean Baker and lead actor Simon Rex have created
a character that’s simply magnetic. A character
who’s completely self-absorbed, utterly full of
himself, a total narcissist and opportunist, who
doesn’t care for anyone but himself and who will
use everyone around him to his benefit. And yet…
we somehow totally love him. His arrogance, his
joy, his bullshitting, his schemes – all of it is
so out in the open, that it almost appears to be
quite harmless. When he is telling his estranged
wife Lexi and his mother-in-law Lil, that he only
needs a place to stay for a few days, it’s all so
transparent and when he’s later explaining that
he’s only riding a far-too-small women’s bike,
because his Camero is still in Hollywood, it’s
obvious that he can’t even fool a 17-year-old
girl. Yet the people around him and we as the
audience, still kind of fall for him anyhow.
For some strange reason we are kind of rooting for
him and at the same time we of course know that we
definitely shouldn’t. But he’s our protagonist and
a protagonist doesn’t need to be good or morally
right. But Mikey has such a contagious drive, so
much sleazy charm. He’s a hustler. He’s a loser.
But there’s also something magical and completely
unapologetic about him and even more than in his
last films, Sean Baker has brought a lot of humor
to this one. Mikey is such a comedic figure and
there’s something funny about every fiber of his
being. About the way he talks, which is mostly
bragging, the way he moves his face and body.
It’s a character you can’t take your eyes off.
He’s a joke and yet you can also kind of
admire his determination and survival instinct.
Even if he really doesn’t care if he’s hurting
other people. But Sean Baker succeeds in still
keeping some humanity alive and the way the movie
makes us feel all these contradicting feelings
makes this such an absorbing journey. The real
story or crucial ignition point in the story
kicks in when Mikey is laying his eyes on the only
17-year-old donut shop employee Strawberry and you
wonder if he’s maybe really feeling something
for her, I mean besides the obvious lust,
or if he only sees her as his chance
to score again in the porn industry.
I mean, he is a narcissist and probably not even
capable of truly caring for someone else. A man in
his late forties and a 17-year-old is certainly
troubling and the movie keeps challenging our
perception of Mikey. But it also does a good
amount of portraying Strawberry as this wild,
nymphomaniac teenager, who herself is taking
what she likes. Now that doesn’t excuse the
grooming and manipulation by a far-older man,
but she has agency as well and it helps to
preserve the film’s upbeat, almost satirical
tone. Now I should probably mention again,
that it’s not just the way the character of Mikey
is written and how Baker leads him through this
story, but a huge part of the film’s magnetic
energy comes down to lead actor Simon Rex
being absolutely sensational in the role. Rex
had a rather peculiar career so far as an actor,
rapper, comedian, MTV VJ and also as a performer
in solo masturbation scenes for some porn films.
So, he’s certainly able to bring a lot of his
own background to the role and he’s completely
committed to the character of Mikey and it really
shows. But it’s not just Simon Rex who is amazing.
Sean Baker is known for his talent to find
these completely unknown, fascinating and very
natural faces for his films. Non-professional
actors, who give his worlds something very real
and grounded. Be it Suzanna Son as Strawberry,
Brenda Deiss as the mother-in-law Lil,
Ethan Darbone as the neighbor Lonnie or Brittney
Rodriguez as the hilarious drug-dealer June.
Baker populates his worlds with these fresh and
interesting faces. Faces that at the same time
look like they have led a difficult and sometimes
tragic life. And again, he is able to find humor
and drama alike. There’s something very funny
about this rural southern setting but it doesn’t
feel as if he’s exposing these people and there’s
always this passionate, emphatic touch to it.
The cinematography with its grainy 16mm film
look, especially in the many, sometimes extreme
close-ups and the fast pace really suck you
into it and makes this a very pleasant and nice
experience, even with this crass subject matter
of a former porn star who’s grooming a teenager.
Baker also does without music and the dialogue
and ambient sounds are enough to transport you
to this place. But then he also does use music at
a few very distinct moments, which brings me back
to the opening of this review. NSYNC’s “Bye
Bye Bye” is kind of the anthem of this movie
and it only adds to the film’s unique appeal and
nature. If there’s something to criticize, I would
say that the movie could’ve maybe been a little
bit shorter and some things come a little bit too
easy for our protagonist, but then again, maybe
that’s also kind of the charm and point and some
people just do fall on their feet again and again,
even in a state of losing. So in German I’d say:
I give RED ROCKET 8 out of 10. It’s
more like 8.2 but I don’t do that.
Alright, that’s it. Like always, comment below
and let me know what you think about RED ROCKET.
Are you familiar with Sean Baker? If so, what’s
your favorite one of his films? And also: What is
your favorite boy band song? You can hit me up,
on Twitter, Instagram and Letterboxd – and also
on Patreon – simply at The Jimmy Cage. And if you
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