After buzzing in 2021’s Cannes Film Festival, the critically acclaimed Red Rocket is coming to DVD and Blu-ray this March. Although Red Rocket was highly praised in film festivals, scoring a nomination for the Palme d’Or, the movie only had a limited theatrical run, making the disc release the first opportunity most cinema lovers will have to watch it.
Both the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Red Rocket come with an audio commentary with writer-director Sean Baker, cinematographer Drew Daniels, and lead actor Simon Rex. The disc release also includes an audio commentary with film critic Kat Ellinger and a making-of that’ll look behind the scenes of Red Rocket’s production.
Red Rocket follows Rex as Mikey Saber, a has-been adult movie star who’s forced to come back to his hometown in Texas. There, he must confront the wife (Bree Elrod) he had left behind and the people who didn’t want him to come back after he decided to dedicate his life to the pornographic market. Unemployed and trying to get by however he can, Mikey meets a teenager known as Strawberry (Suzanna Son), whom he sees as his ticket back into the adult film industry.
Red Rocket comes from director and co-writer Baker, along with co-writer Chris Bergoch. Baker has been gathering a lot of attention with his grounded filming style and the unorthodox nature of his scripts. Baker’s last feature, The Florida Project, followed a six-year-old girl (Brooklynn Prince) living in a motel close to Walt Disney World with her unemployed mother (Bria Vinaite). Before that, Baker directed Tangerine, which followed a transgender sex worker (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) trying to find her pimp boyfriend.
Red Rocket’s cast also includes Brenda Deiss, Ethan Darbone, Brittney Rodriguez, and Judy Hill. Rex’s performance as the con-man and porn actor Mickey has been internationally recognized, with eight different awards and nominations, some still pending results. Critics also praised Elrod, who had her major debut role in Red Rocket, and Son, who had her feature film debut.
Red Rocket arrives on March 15 on DVD and Blu-ray from Lionsgate. Check Red Rocket’s trailer and official synopsis below.
Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is back home in small-town Texas after burning bridges and flaming out all over Los Angeles. A hustler, operator, and charismatic con man, Mikey quickly learns that no one wants him back. When he meets a teenager working at the local donut shop, he sees his ticket back to the big time, in this darkly funny, live-wire film from acclaimed writer-director Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Tangerine).