The Last Rodeo: A Review

THE LAST RODEO

Few songs capture the lives of rodeo cowboys than Amarillo by Morning. Curiously, the song never became a Number One hit. Similarly, The Last Rodeo is both an ode to this line of work and not a Number One hit. Pleasant, predictable but with sincerity, The Last Rodeo drives home its message of redemption and seeking one last chance.

Joe Wainwright (Neal McDonough) is a rodeo legend long retired due to injuries. He is pleased that his grandson Cody (Graham Harvey) is starting to follow in Grandpa Joe's footsteps with small, youth-oriented rodeos. Cody's mother Sally Wainwright (Sarah Jones) is most displeased. She would prefer that Cody go more into his other passion: baseball. Joe, who has had a fraught relationship with Sally ever since his wife's death, will go with whatever she wishes.

Things take a terrible turn when Cody starts feeling ill. He is soon diagnosed with a brain tumor. Sally's insurance will not cover the full amount. Joe, while comfortable, does not have enough to make up the difference either. He does, however, have a very outside chance. The Professional Bull Riders Association has long invited Wainwright along with other past winners for a Legends Tournament. Here, the former champions would face off against the up-and-comers for glory, a $750,000 prize and a new truck. Over Sally's very vocal objections but Cody's quiet delight, Joe decides to take up the invitation even after throwing away the repeated invites.

To get him back into the bull ring, he turns to his friend and trainer Charlie Williams (Mykelti Williamson). Joe puts a bit of a squeeze on PBR impresario Jimmy Mack (Christopher McDonald) to let him in as a last-minute entry. Joe will be the oldest rider. He is also a haunted man. He had to retire from the sport after injuring his neck while riding drunk. His past, coupled with his long-term grief over his wife's death, still plague his mind, body and heart. With all that, bull riding phenom Billy Hamilton (Daylon Ray Swearingen) is more of an annoyance.

Joe ought to watch for Billy, who is a formidable if albeit beatable opponent. Charlie, who has embraced Christianity in the ensuing years, nudges Joe to ask for forgiveness and forgive himself. Will Joe manage to overcome his troubles to help save Cody?

Director and cowriter Jon Avnet is not reinventing the wheel with The Last Rodeo. Cowriting with Derek Presley and star McDonough, the story is pretty straightforward. In some ways, it is quite predictable save for one slight twist at the end that is not completely unsurprising. 

What makes The Last Rodeo a good film to watch is how everyone involved gives it their all. What the film has is a lot of heart. It treats the characters and situations that they are in with total sincerity, even compassion. That is a rare quality in film. The Last Rodeo never talks down to its audience. It never mocks them for wanting to care about these people. It respects both viewer and character. At a time when diversity is all the rage, The Last Rodeo manages this by having characters that are of distinct backgrounds without it being anything extraordinary. 

Charlie, a black rodeo expert, has been in a long and happy marriage to Agisa (Irene Bedard). She is a Native American, who offers comfort and wisdom to both Joe and Sally. This is a good way to have diversity, where we see the individual and not the background. 

Again and again, the idea of sincerity came to mind while watching. The Last Rodeo is unashamed of being about redemption. It is not preachy. I do not remember any great moment where Joe breaks down and accepts Christ as his Savior. Instead, Joe's redemption arc comes about gradually. It also is not afraid to show our characters with flaws. If memory serves correct, Charlie started a barroom brawl with another PBR contestant, Marco (Gabriel Sousa). 

Acting-wise, The Last Rodeo keeps to its sincerity. Neal McDonough has some wonderful moments of quiet. We see his regret when working with an equally strong Mykelti Williamson as his frustrated friend Charlie. He has an equally great scene when mending his relationship with Sally. I think Sarah Jones is a bit weak in the film, but it is not a dealbreaker. Christopher McDonald plays his PBR kingpin with a good blend of concern and contempt for Joe. Jimmy Mack does think well of him, but he also does not know him very well. In their first meeting, Mack continues pressing Joe to have a drink. I would have thought that Joe could easily have told Mack that he'd given it up. I think Mack would have understood. Why Joe opts to take a quick swig when a simple "I don't drink anymore" is something that I do not understand.  

As a side note, there is much talk about how beat up and broken Joe Wainwright is physically. The various shirtless shots of Neal McDonough prove that he is quite fit for someone nearing sixty. 

If there is anything that really holds The Last Rodeo back, it is in how it is a bit too much inside baseball. We see this in Daylon Sweringen's alleged performance. Sweringen is truly terrible as an actor. I quickly suspected that he was a professional bull rider, which he is. One can see that he cannot act. I am puzzled over why he did not just play himself. Other professional bull riders did in The Last Rodeo. The announcers too are figures that those who follow PBR would know. 

That is in the end a minor issue. The Last Rodeo may not be unique, but it is sincere. I cannot fault a film for hitting its intended target.     

DECISION: C+