Simon Rex most likely won't want to hear that after his stint as an MTV, he had dropped into obscurity after an odd reveal of his past porn existence. Today, it would probably be seen as a side project. In this film, he uses his most Simon Rex-ish street hustler to gain a lot of sympathy with equal amounts of eye rolls. Perhaps you may have appreciated his self-effacing nature which plays brilliantly in this role. Tailored perfectly for him.
Rex plays, Mikey, a former porn star that returns to his small town and begins to insert himself back into that "white trash" life before he stumbles upon a donut shop girl, known innocently as Strawberry due to her redhead and freckles, who breathes new life into his next project. Mikey knows this type of person because as we'll discover later, he had also "groomed" Lexi (his wife) whom shows every minute of the struggle faced in the industry. Lexi is a broken person who lives with her Mother. A house she'd grown up in. Mikey ingratiates himself to her good will through fast talk and empty promises. You can see they are skeptical yet can't help but take in a sad case.
The tone of this flick is decidedly absurd. People in the desperate living category tend to have moments of bizarre behavior which you can only attribute to survival. Director Sean Baker is a genius at mining people who live in the fray. "The Florida Project" could be the neighborhood down the street. In this case, there is a lighter tone. The town drug dealer is a woman who has children who hustle for her. She is so baked into the community, she does favors for Lexi and her Mom. There is a sweet spirit when it comes to their relationships. Most likely swapping stories of woe with Mikey in Los Angeles.
The other standout is their neighbor, Lonnie (Ethan Darbone) a 20-something whom Lexi had babysat and upon Mikey's return, he marvels at Mikey's adventures in La La Land. His story is the most tragic in that he lives with a father who is gristly old and whose final fate seems to be more of a respite to his present living conditions. We can fill in those blanks. He idolizes Mikey and his stories.
Big respect to Suzanna Son who plays Strawberry. She is coy and sweet and...yes there has been a lot of talk of her underage quality. But, you can make a case she is as manipulative as Mikey ever was. She could be the next porn star and doesn't necessarily shy from it. She has the background for it.
The small Texas town itself is under the oppressive thumb of a refinery that coughs up ugliness. Why wouldn't anyone dream of a life outside regardless of the tragic stories and outcome. Strawberry isn't naive. She's a teenager entering adulthood. She plays naive to hook the men who enter her life. Whether or not she becomes the new Lexi remains to be seen.
The film itself is some of the most colorful flicks I've seen in a while. I suppose you could attribute it to the fact that it was shot on celluloid. The glossiness of the film and the movements envelope you into this world, much like "The Florida Project"
This was a great film to end 2021.
Rex plays, Mikey, a former porn star that returns to his small town and begins to insert himself back into that "white trash" life before he stumbles upon a donut shop girl, known innocently as Strawberry due to her redhead and freckles, who breathes new life into his next project. Mikey knows this type of person because as we'll discover later, he had also "groomed" Lexi (his wife) whom shows every minute of the struggle faced in the industry. Lexi is a broken person who lives with her Mother. A house she'd grown up in. Mikey ingratiates himself to her good will through fast talk and empty promises. You can see they are skeptical yet can't help but take in a sad case.
The tone of this flick is decidedly absurd. People in the desperate living category tend to have moments of bizarre behavior which you can only attribute to survival. Director Sean Baker is a genius at mining people who live in the fray. "The Florida Project" could be the neighborhood down the street. In this case, there is a lighter tone. The town drug dealer is a woman who has children who hustle for her. She is so baked into the community, she does favors for Lexi and her Mom. There is a sweet spirit when it comes to their relationships. Most likely swapping stories of woe with Mikey in Los Angeles.
The other standout is their neighbor, Lonnie (Ethan Darbone) a 20-something whom Lexi had babysat and upon Mikey's return, he marvels at Mikey's adventures in La La Land. His story is the most tragic in that he lives with a father who is gristly old and whose final fate seems to be more of a respite to his present living conditions. We can fill in those blanks. He idolizes Mikey and his stories.
Big respect to Suzanna Son who plays Strawberry. She is coy and sweet and...yes there has been a lot of talk of her underage quality. But, you can make a case she is as manipulative as Mikey ever was. She could be the next porn star and doesn't necessarily shy from it. She has the background for it.
The small Texas town itself is under the oppressive thumb of a refinery that coughs up ugliness. Why wouldn't anyone dream of a life outside regardless of the tragic stories and outcome. Strawberry isn't naive. She's a teenager entering adulthood. She plays naive to hook the men who enter her life. Whether or not she becomes the new Lexi remains to be seen.
The film itself is some of the most colorful flicks I've seen in a while. I suppose you could attribute it to the fact that it was shot on celluloid. The glossiness of the film and the movements envelope you into this world, much like "The Florida Project"
This was a great film to end 2021.