Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Red Rocket Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 7, 2022

Simon Rex just won the Independent Spirit Award for Male Lead for his performance in Red Rocket, and that may help to bring more attention to this interesting and occasionally more than a bit raucous film. Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is a former porn star who has fallen on hard times and is returning back to a Texas town where his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) and her mother Lil (Brenda Deiss) live, hoping for a little charity and a place to crash. Lexi's exasperated reaction to seeing her supposed spouse on her door stoop has acres of subtext, some of which is explored as the story continues and of course after a bit of haggling Mikey is allowed to stay. The rest of the film simply follows Mikey's exploits in this backwater where he struggles to find employment, but soon develops an almost obsessive interest in a young worker at the local donut shop who is named Strawberry (Suzanna Son) and whom Mikey attempts to convince has a future in porn herself. It's all more than a bit smarmy at times, as is perhaps unavoidable given its context, but Red Rocket is also surprisingly sweet (if frequently scabrous), and it offers Rex a chance to stretch out and prove he has both comedic and dramatic acting chops galore.

In a "making of" featurette included on this disc as a supplement, Simon Rex talks about Mikey as an anti-hero, suggesting perhaps incredibly that anti-heroes haven't been a "thing" in films recently (I'll let you all compile your own lists in refutation of this questionable thesis). That said, Mikey is a rather interesting semi-lovable scoundrel, though it's obvious he's typically on the make and doesn't have the slightest qualms about using people, frequently females, to take care of his creature comforts. There's character history here that is alluded to if not overtly detailed, but it provides an almost swampy emotional baseline that affects Mikey and Lexi in particular, though ultimately Strawberry finds herself more or less ensnared by it as well.

Mikey finds his employment history (or lack thereof, at least with regard to a "normal" occupation) a hurdle which can't be easily overcome even in the town of Texas City, and it doesn't take long for him to therefore reestablish a relationship with Leondria (Judy Hill), who is about as skeptical about seeing Mikey again as Lexi and Lil were, but who, kind of like them, finally gives in and allows Mikey to pick up where he left off with Leondria evidently years earlier as a marijuana salesman. No one in the film seems to have any doubts whatoever about Mikey's errant moral compass, but that also doesn't stop them from offering the guy assistance, perhaps against their better judgment.

As Mikey and Lexi cautiously reestablish their relationship, Mikey's dalliance with Strawberry of course enters the fray, but Red Rocket is really less of a melodramatic ménage à trois than it is a kind of both heartbreaking and hilarious deconstruction of a bunch of characters who are consigned by the vagaries of fate into lives they're not completely comfortable with and who, at least in several cases (Strawberry arguably excepted), have made some really bad decisions along the way. As such, the film kind of reminded me at times of some elements in the long running Showtime series Shameless. There's the same combo platter of moral turpitude and fitful attempts at honorable behaviors, as well as the same kind of motley crew of damaged characters. Even some of the "family" dynamics come off as somewhat the same, especially the roiling relationship between Mikey and Lexi.

Both the making of featurette as well as the commentaries included on this disc get into the "necessity is the mother of invention" aspect of this film's genesis, since writer and director Sean Baker was evidently already well ensconced in another project which the Covid pandemic put a (temporary?) halt to, resulting in this kind of "on the fly" backup situation. There's a kind of loosey, goosey, semi-improvisational feel to the proceedings as a result, but there's commendably not much of the self indulgence that such efforts often offer. The performances are all viscerally powerful, both funny and tragic by turn, and the film's gritty aesthetic is also extremely well realized.

Red Rocket Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Red Rocket is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films and A24 with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. Shot on actual good old fashioned 16mm stock and finished at a 4K DI, this is a really wonderful looking transfer that preserves the grittiness of the grain field and supports a really beautifully burnished palette. Despite the pretty dowdy surroundings that populate the entire film, there are incredibly bright, beautifully suffused, pops of color, with yellows and reds being utilized prevalently and resonating extremely well throughout the presentation. The outdoor material in particular looks great, with some vivid blue skies and lush greenery. Detail levels are generally quite good, with an understanding that the smaller format doesn't always fully support superb fine detail levels in midrange and wide shots in particular. While there's no real problem with grain resolution, as can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, in darker scenes in particular it can have a somewhat pixellated look that has tinges of blue and/or yellow in it.

Red Rocket Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Red Rocket features a fun DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers a good spacious accounting of a glut of source cues, as well as providing smart placement of ambient environmental effects in the many outdoor scenes. Some sequences, as a scene in a strip club, also provide noticeable engagement of the side and rear channels. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Red Rocket Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer / Director Sean Baker, Cinematographer Drew Daniels and Actor Simon Rex


• Audio Commentary with Film Critic Kat Ellinger is a kind of unexpected addition to this release, as I've typically only come across Ellinger commentaries on releases by labels with some kind of UK connection like Arrow or Imprint.


• Making of Red Rocket (HD; 12:15)

Additionally, a digital copy is included, and packaging features a slip cover.

Red Rocket Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Red Rocket has picked up a smattering of awards at various regional festivals, and it in fact was nominated for the Palme d'Or last year at Cannes, but it doesn't seem to have attracted a ton of widespread attention. Fans of Rex will most certainly want to check this out, but for anyone who has enjoyed some of Sean Baker's previous films, this should also be an inviting viewing option. Despite the kind of unseemly context (something Baker has explored before), there's an undeniable sweetness to this film, though the characters are often beyond hardscrabble. Technical merits are solid, and the making of featurette and commentaries are also very interesting. Recommended.