There are comeback stories, and then there’s getting back on a bull when your body has spent years telling you that’s a terrible idea.
The Last Rodeo is the second kind.
Neal McDonough plays Joe Wainright, a retired rodeo star who has absolutely no business climbing back onto a bull.
Which, of course, is exactly what he does.
Joe’s grandson needs help, and the quickest way to get it involves entering a high-stakes bull-riding competition years after Joe walked away from the sport. It’s not exactly a unique setup, but this is one of those movies where familiarity isn’t really a problem.
You know the kind of movie The Last Rodeo is.
Old injuries.
Old regrets.
A family that still has a few things to work through.
And one very bad idea that Joe knows is a bad idea.
But family comes first.
McDonough is the reason it works. He has spent years being the guy you recognize from somewhere, usually playing someone intense, dangerous, unpleasant, or some combination of the three. Here he gets to carry the movie, and he fits the role almost suspiciously well.
Joe is old enough to know exactly what getting back on that bull could cost him.
He does it anyway.
Rotten Tomatoes has it at 69% from critics and 94% from verified audiences, which feels about right for this kind of movie. I’m much closer to the audience on this one.
He Has No Business Getting Back on That Bull
Neal McDonough plays a retired rodeo star who gets back on the bull for one very good reason: family.
