We travel through the worn path of a tired America, lead once again by our master of ceremonies Sean Baker, this time through the lens of kinda gross scumbag pornstar returning to a haggard Texas town. Baker has a way of telling entertaining, engrossing, and edifying tales of fringes of society, which I adore. This one is probably the least compelling of what I have seen, with Tangerine and Florida Project being slightly stronger, but it still sprinkles idiosyncratic spunk among the harsh conditions of the downtrodden American dreamers.
Simon Rex is damn charismatic as this spent porn star scheming and hustling. You need that charisma to drag you through his shitty behavior, shiftily squeezing money out of where he can, lying to every soul he meets, and conducting a sadly duplicitous relationship with a young girl that makes Licorice Pizza look like a mature and reasonable romance. He has a vivacious and naturalistic physical presence which he brings to every scene, line reading, and emotional expenditure. It really works.
This isn’t usually about anything nice but the film is almost always charming and magnetic. I love Baker’s voice and this is another winner deserving of your eyes.