Storyline
Finding himself down and out in Los Angeles, ex porn star Mikey Saber 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 working the cash register at a local doughnut shop.
Directors
Writers
Cast
Simon Rex, Karren Karagulian, Shih-Ching Tsou, Robert Gonzales, Bree Elrod, Suzanna Son, Brenda Deiss, Sophie, Vickie Pearce, Bashir Abboud, Kevin Cavanaugh, Caressa Garza, Marlon Lambert, Judy Hill, Brittney Rodriguez, Melary Jones, Najeeb Hassan, Leigh Ann Welch, Debra Johnson, Ethan Darbone, Alex Michell, Curt Smith, Andrew Carter, Stanley Buffington, Daniel Gonzalez, Zachary Kemp, Efrain Avendaño, Shawn Harper, David Maxwell, Nate Venz, Anthony Carvelli, Parker Bigham, Brandy Kirl, Dustin Hart, Allison Fuller, Dimitri Manetas, Roza Kastis, Alayna Polk, Darinda Fuller, Lindsey Fuller, Elisa Silva, Gary Fuller, Seward B. Lott, Mason Shortland
Trailer
Reviews
91
Red Rocket is so arresting because of how it keeps hope alive by rescuing devastation from the jaws of happiness.
90
The end result is a real pleasure, taking us along for a wild ride. Yes, it’s slightly too long, and Baker and his team could probably trim a bit to make things even tighter. Yet there’s so much charm at play, so much joy in watching even the moments of pain and embarrassment that it’s difficult to criticize.
88
Slant Magazine
Sean Baker is dedicated at the same time to the material realities of being poor in the United States and to the irreverent artificiality of snap zooms, smash cuts, and unexpected music cues.
80
With Red Rocket, Sean Baker has given us an adult American pastoral, essentially a comedy, and another study of tough lives at the margin, close in spirit to his lo-fi breakthrough Tangerine.
80
At a little over two hours, Red Rocket suffers mildly from prolix stretches, and just like The Florida Project, it could have used some tightening. But it’s a pleasure to put yourself in Baker’s capable hands as he ambles through his loose story with its affectionate, slyly humorous character observations and immersive sense of place.
