The Last Rodeo
Summary
The Last Rodeo, produced by Angel Studios and starring Neal McDonough, is a heartfelt contemporary western movie. After a medical disaster threatens to throw the Wainright family under mountains of debt, retired bull rider Joe Wainright decides to enter the ring once again to win the prize money and save his daughter and grandson from financial ruin.
Assessment
The Last Rodeo is the most recent Angel Studios movie to hit the big screen, wrapping up its box office run just this week. Fan-favorite Neal McDonough dons a cowboy hat in a story of redemption, old wounds, underdog triumph, and the strengthening of family bonds. Following typical Angels Studios fashion, the movie is family-friendly without being boring or entirely sanitized. It focuses on a real, slightly dysfunctional family navigating realistic — and relatable — problems with a foundation of faith.
The movie is high-quality in terms of acting, cinematography, and plot. With Neal McDonough leading a cast of other, talented actors, the characters come to life on screen with their own individual desires, arcs, traumas, and wisdom. Cinematographically the movie is top-notch, if a little too artistic for the subject matter at times. The biggest are the movie struggles in is pacing and overall tone when compared to more mainstream movies. This said, since most Angel Studio movies follow this same pattern, it seems to be an intentional, stylistic choice on their part.
Light-o-Meter
Writing: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Filmmaking: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Acting: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Cleanliness: 5 out of 7 Little Lights (some light cussing, although that’s addressed by the characters)
Theological Message: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
As usual, Angel Studios has given us another high-quality, family-friendly film with plenty of heart, action, and drama. I can’t say this one hit me in quite the same spot as either Cabrini or The Shift, but it is absolutely something I want to get on DVD and share with my friends and family whenever it’s available!
I have a whole list of favorite elements for this movie, but I’m going to pare it down to just a few. First I absolutely loved the characters. From Neal’s desperate Joe Wainright to Mykelti Williamson’s fantastically sassy (and usually right) Charlie Williams, to Sarah Jones’ stoic Sally Wainright, the acting and character development in this movie is top-notch. I loved how each character technically fit into an archetype, but fully stood out on their own. Joe wasn’t the stubborn old coot he could’ve been (I mean, he was, but not in an obnoxious way), Sally wasn’t the weak daughter or annoying ‘girlboss’ she could’ve been, and Charlie isn’t just the sassy sidekick, there for a quip and some small sage advice.
The overall faith journey of the movie was most in the background, which initially annoyed me. Angel Studios does tend to downplay the faith element of the story, often to the detriment of the message they are trying to convey. However, once I’d finished The Last Rodeo, I realized that I actually enjoyed how subtle the movie’s faith was—not because I wanted it to be hidden, but because the entire movie was subtle. It wasn’t a grand, splashy faith film or even a grand, splashy rodeo film, but it was exactly what it needed to be. The toned-down faith element didn’t take away from the story, but cued the audience in on how Joe, a stoic and close-to-the-vest kind of guy, was handling the situation around him.
I did think that the pacing seemed a little slow, which is, honestly, no crime. It kept the movie from pulling me into its world fully—but I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride! Same kind of thing with the cinematography, it felt like it was trying a little too hard to be cool, edgy, artistic, or modern when it needed to be a little more stable (literally, some of those camera jiggles were dizzying). This isn’t necessarily a crime either, except I think sometimes the camera work was at odds with the actor’s performances. Like it was trying to emphasize what the characters were going through, but ended up pulling energy away from the emotional nuance Neal or Sarah were putting into their performance.
Also, Neal finally got his first on-screen kiss (with his real-life wife!).
Where to Enjoy
As of May 30th, 2025, The Last Rodeo was still showing in some theaters nationwide! If it is no longer available, check out Angel Studios for more!
This review is for this specific product and this product alone. In no way, shape, or form is this review meant to be an endorsement of the private lives, individual choices, lifestyles, or behaviors of those company(ies), publisher(s), creator(s), producer(s), author(s), artist(s), etc. associated with this product. It is God's sole providence alone to judge, and we make no claim to this right. With our reviews, we're simply looking at the value and merits of this specific product alone through the content and perspective of a Christian worldview. We pray you find it helpful and useful.
