by Stephanie Henriksen
Red Rocket opens with a close up shot of Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) staring out the window on a bus to Texas City, while NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” plays loudly in the background. I laughed to myself. We soon learn that Mikey is a washed-up porn star looking for a place to stay in a town he escaped 17 years ago.
Mikey has an ego the size of Texas, good-looking, tall, tan, with light green eyes that sparkle under the sun. A suitcase pimp, relying on people to make it in life. I wanted to hate him, but he kept making me laugh. Red Rocket explores the underground economy of the porn and drug industries through the eyes of its lead characters. It is refreshing, offensive, expertly casted and presents us with the subculture of American underclass.
In the second scene of Red Rocket, Mikey shows up on his estranged wife Lexi’s (Bree Elrod) doorstep begging her and her mother (Brenda Deiss) to give him a place to stay, promising to pay rent. After a volatile rejection and a few cigarettes, they agree.
Lexi used to do porn with Mikey and returned back to Texas City before him, succumbing to addiction. She is beautiful in a trashy and effortless kind of way and still works in the sex industry to make money. We get the sense that you never truly escape.
Mikey eventually gains favour with Lexi and her mother by paying a full month’s rent, sleeping with Lexi, and buying them donuts. At the donut shop Mikey has his first encounter with Strawberry (Suzanna Son). She looks up at him with her big green eyes, full pink lips, strawberry blonde hair and it is game over. You can tell he’s thinking about how perfect she would be on camera. You can tell she’s young — 17 to be exact.
Texas City is a character in this film, the featureless highways and expansive blue skyscapes, the donut shop, the strip club, hot weather, and expansive flatlands extending into the horizon. Cinematographer (Drew Daniels) shot Red Rocket on 16mm film giving it a real life feel.
Mikey gets a job selling dope, working for a mother and daughter duo Leondria (Judy Hill) and June (Brittney Rodriguez). Rodriguez was street casted, her first time acting, and she did an excellent job playing the daughter of a strong woman running a drug business.
Mikey continues to visit Strawberry at the donut shop where she works. He charms her and tells her about his once glamorous life in L.A. He rides a bike borrowed from Lexi and gets rides home from Strawberry to a fake house, so she doesn’t know how poor he really is.
The film was first released at Cannes Film Festival in 2021 to a standing ovation, a career defining moment for Rex who used to do porn in real life to make money as a 19-year-old and also had a turn as a rapper named Dirt Nasty.
Sean Baker is an auteur, his films reflect his personal creative vision. Therefore Red Rocket, and Baker’s subsequent films like Tangerine and The Florida Project have a unique feel. His co-writer Chris Bergoch worked with him on this film and three previous. His life partner Samantha Quan helped to produce.
Independent films like Red Rocket, feel the most authentic to me. The vision of the creators remains intact until the final product on the big screen.