The Last Rodeo
May 22nd, 2025
MOVIE: THE LAST RODEO
STARRING: NEAL MCDONOUGH, MYKELTI WILLIAMSON, SARAH JONES, CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD
DIRECTED BY: JON AVNET
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: PG
RUN TIME: 118 MINUTES
When I was a kid, the movies I craved were packed with action, explosions, and thrills that made me feel like I was getting away with something. I was excited when my parents took me to see Air Force One. I bonded with him when my brother snuck me into Rumble in the Bronx. And when I rented something from Blockbuster, it was often too intense for my own good. Now we have Angel Studios, whose idea of entertainment is wrapped in wholesomeness, and the result is some of the lamest movies imaginable. Their latest, The Last Rodeo, aims to be an uplifting family film but ends up as a prime example of phony storytelling.
Neal McDonough stars as Joe Wainwright, a three-time Professional Bull Riding champion who, after turning 40 and suffering numerous neck injuries, finally hangs up his spurs. Just as he’s settling into retirement and confronting his past, his grandson Cody (Graham Harvey)—who dreams of following in Joe’s cowboy boots—is diagnosed with a brain tumor. With his daughter Sally (Sarah Jones) struggling as a single mom and buried in medical bills, Joe decides to team up with his old coach Charlie Williams (Mykelti Williamson) to make a comeback and win the grand prize, proving that this old bull still has one last ride in him.
On the surface, The Last Rodeo has potential. Directed by Fried Green Tomatoes veteran Jon Avnet and anchored by reliable performances from McDonough and Williamson, it should’ve worked. But everything in between falls flat. The supporting cast, playing professional bull riders, couldn’t act their way out of a hay bale. The screenplay, written by Avnet, McDonough, and Derek Presley, leans hard on clichés. Instead of delivering the adrenaline of bull riding or immersing the audience in the grit of the sport, the film meanders between Joe’s worry over Cody’s fate and generic, made-for-TV drama.
Avnet also tries to tie faith to perseverance, and while The Last Rodeo isn’t as overtly preachy as, say, The King of Kings, it still struggles to find authenticity. The narrative is bogged down by clunky exposition, often delivered by an all-too-knowing bull-riding commentary team on the TV, and the central conflict—will Cody die or will Joe break his neck on his next ride?— feels both overdone and undercooked. Not that it matters, since the film quickly loses interest in the bull riding altogether.
Ultimately, The Last Rodeo is just another melodrama loaded with contrived dialogue and artificial stakes. It’s neither cool nor as inspiring as it hopes to be. The tearjerker setup feels created, desperate for our tears, and never succeeds, as the emotional beats fail to land. McDonough has played this kind of role before—and done it better.
The Last Rodeo can’t hold on. Once the story starts, it quickly gets bucked and kicked off course, making a boring story. This is what passes for theatrical drama these days, and if you ask me, it’s a whole lot of bull.
2 STARS
THE LAST RODEO IS PLAYING IN THEATERS THIS FRIDAY, MAY 23RD, 2025.
Written by: Leo Brady
