Red Rocket

Red Rocket is a 2021 American black comedy drama film directed by Sean Baker from a screenplay co-written with Chris Bergoch. It stars Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, and Suzanna Son. The plot follows a porn star (Rex) who returns to his hometown and begins a relationship with an adolescent girl (Son). The film premiered at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or on July 14, 2021. It was released in limited theaters on December 10, 2021, by A24. It received praise for its direction and Rex's performance and received a variety of awards and nominations. The National Board of Review listed it among the top ten films of the year. Rex also won Best Actor awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Independent Spirit Awards. Plot After a 17-year absence, Mikey Saber returns to Texas City, Texas, his Gulf Coast hometown. Badly bruised and destitute, Mikey arrives at the modest home shared by Lexi, his estranged wife, and her mother Lil. Mikey begs Lexi and Lil to let him stay at their house. They reluctantly agree but insist that he get a job and perform household chores. Mikey tries to find work at a diner and a Dollar General store, but is hindered by a long gap in his résumé. After Mikey admits to potential employers that he spent those years working as a porn star in Los Angeles, they refuse to hire him. Desperate, Mikey persuades Leondria, a marijuana dealer, to give him his old job back selling marijuana. Leondria and her daughter June suspect that Mikey will smoke it himself, but after he returns with his earnings, their business arrangement continues.