With jaw set and cowboy hat solidly secured, Neal McDonough strides through “The Last Rodeo” as Joe Wainwright, a former champion bull rider who’s believably broken in body and spirit. Ever since the death of his wife ten years earlier, Joe has retired to his Texas ranch to lick his wounds and nurse his regrets.
And he has a lot of both, including the broken neck he sustained while riding drunk, an injury that derailed the life of his daughter (Sarah Jones) as well as his own. So when his young grandson develops a brain tumor, Joe needs a way to pay for the boy’s treatment and make amends for his own indifferent parenting. And, wouldn’t you know it, there’s a bull-riding tournament this very weekend in Tulsa, Okla., with a million dollars in prize money. Can Joe hoist his aching knees and weary butt back in the competitive saddle? Oh you just know he can.
Directed by Jon Avnet (who wrote the script with McDonough and Derek Presley), “The Last Rodeo” — the latest Christian-themed film from Angel Studios — proceeds with easeful predictability. The story’s conventional beats (the get-back-in-shape montage, the bad news delivered at a critical moment) cohere into a wholesome journey of long-delayed healing. The inclusion of the wonderful Mykelti Williamson, as Joe’s longtime friend and rodeo partner, injects a buddy-movie vibe that anchors the action in riding bouts that are smoothly thrilling without being punishing.
Keeping religious prodding to a minimum — a crucifix here, a mass prayer there — the movie concludes with McDonough’s earnest plea to scan a QR code to purchase tickets for other viewers. The studio used the same gambit with its “King of Kings” a couple of months ago and hey, if it gets more people into actual theaters, I’ll be the last to complain.
The Last Rodeo
Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes. In theaters.
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