MovieChat Forums > Red Rocket (2021) Discussion > Just watched it... Actually pretty good

Just watched it... Actually pretty good


I’m surprised there's virtually no discussion here, considering this is quite an interesting film.

Not life-changing by any means, but by blending a compelling mix of raw comedy with blunt drama, writer/director Sean Baker maintains a uniquely enjoyable grittiness throughout his film. The script is generally good, and lead actor, Simon Rex, delivers a surprisingly effective, charismatic performance. He plays a sleazy, down-on-his-luck porn star just trying to survive back in his old Texas hometown until his next big break (hopefully) comes along, and he can "escape" back to to L.A. Despite my near-complete unfamiliarity with the actor, Rex really steals the show here, and deserves a lot of credit for elevating the film well above mediocrity.

Admittedly, the runtime is slightly overlong, and there are bits scattered throughout the movie that just don’t quite work, or at least fail to ring true for me.

Still, as long as you know what you're getting into and are not easily offended, Red Rocket is definitely worth checking out.

I'd give it a solid 7/10.

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I suspect it will get busier once word of mouth spreads. It's getting a lot of nods on the awards circuit.

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Well that's good to hear. Have you had a chance to check out the film for yourself?

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Not yet. Glad to see Simon Rex get a rebound. I only knew him from the internet memes they cribbed from the Scary Movie series.

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I just finally got done watching it (it took me four days to get through it because I kept getting bored and finding something else to watch instead). I didn't get the point and a lot of the acting was pretty cringe. Whatever floats y'alls boats though.

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So you didn't even appreciate Rex's performance? Interesting. I thought he was great here.

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Honestly, no. If you've ever watched his Youtube skits or other social media buffoonery, his performance in Red Rocket was just 2+ hours of that exact same thing which (for me at least) got very tiresome. I felt like I'd seen it all before. Worse, you could really sense how self-impressed he was with his own improv throughout this movie.

I actually like Rex/Dirty Nasty too...this movie just made me realize I can only handle him in small amounts (like in his Youtube skits).

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Nope, not familiar with his other work. If it's true his performance here is the same as other stuff, though, I'd say they picked the right guy for the job.

I never got any "self-impressed" vibes from Rex during the movie. Maybe from his character, but not the performance.

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a tonne of the actors are non professionals.

and while the first 5 mins Simon rex's acting seemed over the topic, it actually fit his character perfectly and wasnt bad, and in fact really good imo

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I loved it, but not as much as The Florida Project.
White trash seems to be Sean Bakers specialty

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underrated gritty gem.

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needs more attention but seemingly the only decent sized YouTube channels that covered it were RLM and Kermode. not for everything but I do love character driven/studies type films.

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Actually it sucked air. Unlikable characters, only one or two minor laughs, uninteresting story, and way way way too long.

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YUP! The movie didn't have a point. There was a few funny moments but overall not worth the whopping 130 minute running time.

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10/10 for me. I loved everything about it, Simon Rex was excellent.

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Glad you enjoyed it! I agree Rex was great.

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this film deserves more love. im trying to pump it on other indie boards like liquorice pizza

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It was great. After Florida Project and this, I have to say that Sean Baker is one of my favourite directors working today. I'm looking forward to his next movie.

9/10

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