Movie Review: The Last Rodeo

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A well-made but familiar faith-based drama. 

There is little in this movie about a bull rider who hasn't ridden in 15 years (after a becoming injured in a bull riding accident) heading back into the saddle to help fun his grandson's surgery, that you haven't seen before. Still the film always has its heart in the right place. You care about these characters because it is obvious that the filmmakers care about them. The movie may get very sentimental at times, but the sentimentality always feels natural and never forced. This makes this familiar storyline, one we actually deeply care about. The acting is also great and Neal McDonough (who also co-wrote and produced the film) is fantastic and completely believable in the main role. He perfectly captures the emotion of the character and makes the film all the more emotionally effective.

The movie also does a good job at exploring important themes about putting aside your pride and letting others help you as well as trusting in God even when things get tough (this film is from the Christian owned Angel Studios after all). Like many Angel Studios films, this movie is not one where the whole film is about Christianity but has Christian themes and talk about God inserted in. These Christian themes (especially when characters talk about their faith in God) are never forced into the movie nor do they feel out of place. People who believe in God will sometimes talk about their own faith to their friends because it is a part of who they are as people. Because of this having a few scenes where Christian characters briefly talk about their faith only seems completely natural. This is not preaching to the audience, it is simply showing them that these are characters of faith and that is part of who they are. 

Despite a sense of familiarity, there is nothing really wrong with this movie. However, at the same time there is nothing spectacular to make it stand out among many similar movies. This does not change that this film makes for a good trip to the movies though.