RED ROCKET

RED ROCKET is a pornographic character study about a self-centered, down on his luck hustler and former porn star who makes up with his estranged wife in Texas but soon cheats on her with a 17-year-old local girl whom he wants to groom as the next big female porn star. RED ROCKET tries to couch its multiple pornographic scenes and constant foul language into a pretentious drama full of “meaning,” but there’s no way to whitewash the despicable nature of the movie’s story, its main character and its lewd, obscene content.

The movie opens in the summer of 2016 with Mikey Saber, who looks to be in his late 30s, riding a bus into Texas City, Texas, an oil refinery town. Mikey convinces his estranged wife, Lexi, to let him stay with her and her mother, Lil, while he looks for a job. He promises to help with the rent and expenses. However, the only “work” he’s ever done is in adult movies. In fact, both he and Lexi went to Los Angeles together years ago to be actors, but only became a success when Lexi managed to become a popular porn star. Apparently, they never got divorced after Lexi ran away with another hustler in the business, who abandoned her when she got pregnant, but had her son taken away by Child Protective Services.

Mikey starts paying Lexi and Lil’s rent, when he starts selling marijuana for a black woman for whom he had sold some pot back in high school. He starts riding a bicycle around town with the name Red Rocket emblazoned on its frame. Soon, with money coming in regularly, he and Lexi have resumed marital relations in her bed. Mikey also makes friends with the young man next door, Lonnie.

One late afternoon, Mikey, Lexi and Lil decide to grab some donuts, They walk to a donut shop nearby, on the outskirts of town, called The Donut Hole. Mikey is impressed with the freckle-faced, pretty redhead girl, Raylee, behind the counter. After they walk back home, Mikey makes an excuse to get rolling papers and rushes back to the Donut Hole, but it’s closed at night.

He learns the next day that Raylee doesn’t work that day, so he returns the next morning and starts charming her with his gift of gab. She tells him she’ll be 18 in three weeks. She also tells him that people call her Strawberry. After smoking some of his marijuana with her, he lies to her, saying that he’s a Hollywood agent taking care of his sick mother. One night, he even lets her give him a ride back to a fake middle class home. When she drives her truck around the corner, he hops on his bike and rides back to his wife’s house.

Soon, Mikey is filling Raylee’s head with dreams of going to Hollywood and becoming an actress. However, he confides in Lonnie that he thinks he can turn Raylee into a big porn star. Meanwhile, he and Raylee start having a torrid affair behind Lexi’s back.

Sadly, RED ROCKET has earned some acclaim for Simon Rex’s performance as the smooth-talking Mikey. However, the character sometimes talks like he’s still in high school, especially when he’s sweet-talking the 17-year-old girl into smoking marijuana or telling him what donut she’s selling is the best. It’s all a bit over the top and unbelievable.

Director Sean Baker, who co-wrote the script and uses local actors, tries to couch RED ROCKET’s multiple pornographic scenes and constant foul language into a pretentious drama full of “meaning.” However, there’s no way to whitewash the despicable nature of the movie’s story, its main character and its lewd, obscene content.