There’s nothing quite like having a brand-new trailer for a new Sean Baker film to kick off a Tuesday with, especially when it’s your first look at the Florida Project and Tangerine director’s Red Rocket, which stars the former MTV VJ Simon Rex as a former porn star on the prowl in Texas. Yes, that is the actual plot of the movie, and yes, you’re going to probably want to see this as soon as possible and hire a sitter for the kids — adults only, bay-bee.
Peep it:
Instead of using the short-and-sweet description of Red Rocket on the A24 website, we’ve opted to use the NYFF program entry, which should give you a better idea of exactly what’s going on here. So, here’s the synopsis:
“Adding to his gallery of jet-fueled portraits of economic hardship within marginalized pockets of the U.S., director Sean Baker (‘The Florida Project’) trains his restless camera on an unforgettable protagonist. Mikey, a wildly narcissistic former porn star fallen on hard times, has returned from L.A. to his depressed, postindustrial hometown of Texas City, reconnecting with his skeptical, drug-dependent estranged wife and mother-in-law, and using his wily charms to ingratiate himself into a community of people he couldn’t care less about.
“As played by a brilliantly cast Simon Rex (a star MTV VJ in the ’90s), Mikey is a charismatic force of nature — and destruction — who exploits the innocence and goodwill of everyone around him. Pointedly set against the backdrop of the 2016 presidential election, ‘Red Rocket’ is an aptly steamed-up depiction of contemporary America as a playground for hustlers and con men.”
Red Rocket premiered at the New York Film Festival during the last week of September, but you won’t have to wait too long to see it, as A24 will begin its theatrical rollout on December 3. Nor will you have to twiddle your thumbs for too long for our reaction to it, as we’ll have a review coming for you next week, so keep an eye out for that.