Red Rover (2018) User Reviews

ODD COUPLE

[js-66130 · 8/10 · 17 May 2020]

Lurking lonely in a self-imposed dungeon basement apartment, whilst his ex loudly explores her oiled and buff Aussie boy toy above, Damon is in desperate need of life altering salvation. It comes in short order with a space-suited pixie chick offering a chance at Mars colonization. The perfect escape for the dead end Earther.

In the truth is stranger than fiction twist, the seemingly far fetched space angle, actual project Mars One, is gathering terrestrials hoping to be extra, and though that wild proposition offers up an enticing film storyline, "Red Rover" is less about outer and more about self discovery.

When the awkward cherub nerd Damon's bottom feeder life is rocked by uninhibited spark plug Phoebe, he recoils, retreats, and reconsiders. His life. Is Mars the answer? Can he recapture his ex? Who is this new whirlwind? Adventure calls, but as always, inertia is an easy option. Red rover, red rover, will Damon come over? That is life's quandary.

Kristian Bruun and Cara Gee sparkle as the mismatched leads, crossing paths as they stumble towards unknown destinations. A silly, charming, endearing, and tasty little deli slice of cinema this, "Red Rover" pulls its roundhouse punches in favour of a series of well placed jabs. Not a knock out, but a bit of a tenacious tickler.

• hipCRANK.

Cara Gee = Camina Drummer sans eye shadow

[ranwulfs · 8/10 · 22 January 2021]

Watched this specifically to see Cara Gee doing something besides "The Expanse." She's fantastic in that btw, and delightful in "Red Rover." It's a very different role from the stern, powerful commander of Medina Station, which demonstrates a good range. Her character here (Phoebe) starts off as the stereotype "manic pixie," but proves to have more depth than expected. I do feel a little more background on her character would've been welcome, though if I'm being honest, the same could be said of the main character as well. The plot is enjoyable, combining a touch of science fiction with magical realism, what with the very unlikely things that occur. Suspend your disbelief and watch it. Extra credit for casting another "Expanse" alumna: Anna Hopkins has a minor role as Maya.

Smart honest movie

[GrammarMatters · 8/10 · 27 December 2022]

I usually hate low budget movies and am very skeptical of 'Canadian' movies - but THIS movie SHOULD be seen by FAR more people than will sadly ever see it.

(Very) Minor spoilers ahead:

I don't think I'm giving too much away to say this guy is like so many of us who don't feel listened to or respected or valued - and if everything in life was ending, like your job, relationship, home - wouldn't you want to 'run away to Mars' - to just stick your head in the sand like an Ostrich, and run away from everything?

This movie has a fairly large audience out there - of sensitive, intelligent people - who are feeling alone, and unappreciated.

It's really well done, and worth your time invested in watching it.

Maybe I'm getting old - but I used to watch all the shootem' up movies - but I'd now rather see more movies like this.

Strongly recommended.

Cute and wonderful "little" movie.

[bruce-129 · 5 March 2021]

Nice little story about self-actualization, getting out of a rut, and coupling. Kristian Bruun is great as Damon. And Cara Gee, "The Expanse"'s Camina Drummer, is wonderful, and wow, she can really sing. Morgan David Jones' as Mark is incredibly annoying, almost enough to want to shut it off. Same with Joshua Peace's Brad character. One of those little movies that is fun to watch, I enjoyed it. I'd give it a 8/10

Very enjoyable for 60%......

[al-939-110267 · 6/10 · 23 April 2021]

Mark and Brad were totally sickening. Gag reflex for sure. Hopefully they never bring those personalities out again. When they were in scenes the movie was cringe worthy. For that matter Beatrice was not likable half the time. Why even give the movie the rating I did? Simply for the performance of Kristian Bruun and Cara Gee. I guess gutting it out with the others.

I was familiar with Cara Gee from The Expanse and this role was a pleasant surprise to see her talents. Hope to see more of her. Sorry it was just too hard to separate good acting from the character portrayal. Go Kristian and Cara and go away Beatrice, Mark and Brad. Watch this movie for the performance of Damon and Phoebe. Go to the bathroom when Mark or Brad show up and read the paper when Beatrice shows up.

The movie is held together by the two actors, Kristian and Cara and the writing for the scenes they were in was good. The writing in the scenes with the ancillary performers were not up to snuff. Watch if are a fan of Kristian or Cara, otherwise pass. I give it a six because 60% of the movie was watchable and well-written. You can guess which 60%.

Love conquers all

[mjl1966 · 9/10 · 31 May 2021]

This is a story about salvation and the frailty of the human heart that is all too common with people who live in reality.

Not-so-lovable loser Damon desperately needs to find his place in the world and the courage to carve out a simple existence that he can call his own.

Living in the basement of his house where he can hear his ex-girlfriend having sex with her new boyfriend upstairs, Damon spends his days working a job where integrity is reviled in favor of marketing and combing the beach with a metal detector.

At first glance, the movie seems cynical, but it is only the corner of the world where Damon has allowed himself to drift that is replete with soulless beings that all losers seem to attract.

But when he meets a somewhat effervescent girl (Cara Gee) promoting a reality show based on contestants going to Mars, his life begins to turn around.

Here, the film becomes a tender-sweet exploration of love, courage and uncertainty as both Damon and Phoebe seek to find themselves - he as a potential Martian colonist, she as an aspiring song-writer.

I really loved this movie, both for the love story and for the thoughts on what it really means to be an explorer. Cara Gee steals the show as Phoebe and it is a real treat to see her play a character totally different from Camina Drummer. She deserves more roles and I really do hope the indy studios give her her due once The Expanse is done.

When you go in expecting something good...

[wingthwong · 1/10 · 22 February 2024]

Just happened to pass this up. It stated it was a comedy. It stated is was PG13. The description was vaguely like the movie. So, I looked it up for any information. None worth mentioning like a plot that you see for a major movie on Wikipedia. All I really noticed was that the cast was Canadian. I figured from all this, it would be a fun quirky and like hearted film. There was nothing in this that remotely fit this. First, it needs to be rated R for the language and overt sexual instances. Second, there is no comedy in this, whatsoever. Third, I didn't know people in Canada could act this bad or this foul. You would make me embarrassed to be Canadian if I was Canadian. When I think of comedy in Canada, I think of Little Mosque on The Prairie or Corner Gas funny. I believe that Canadian cinema has been infected with the dull and vulgar drama that makes U. S. cinema reek when I see this mess. It started slow. The main character is a whining adult male child. You hate to see these types get cartoon level bullied in cartoons, but it's just fake and humorless in live action. No one in real life is that blatant in accepting bullying, and there are no bullies as blatant as the rest of the cast throughout the rest of the movie. This movie makes you want to punch someone, even if you are the most nonviolent person in the world. Then, there's the main characters moment to give his enlightening speech. Wow, you gave a U. S. government sounding save the world type of speech. It sounded so unbelievably fake coming from this actor (that's a word that least describes him). I don't know the indigenous woman that played his fantasy, but she... there's no words to describe the psycobable attitude she had. People like that are in padded rooms in real life or under conservatory supervision. And she's supposed to be a big name in Montreal? Then, the riding off into the sunset moment was another blah moment that just ended the movie, like the silly kung-fu movies of the 70s where the hero kick that kills the bad guy is the final shot of the movie. You blink, and your streaming service has already put you into the next movie. I really went into this movie wanting to enjoy it. Sugith Varughese was credited in this movie. He was another reason I wanted to see this. Now, I'm not Indian Canadian. I'm from the Midwest. So, why did he interest me. To those who watch Canadian TV and film, he was the main draw for this movie for me. He's the only one in the whole cast with any kind of real talent. You know, you click on an independent movie that is questionable you will watch. You look for names that are recognizable. If you don't see one, you're less likely to watch the movie. He is the recognizable person in this movie for me. If you watch Kim's Convenience, you know who he is. It's not like, I know this person from something. I knew he was in Kim's Convenience. Anyway, he can play some truly funny and somewhat aloof characters. Not here. His involvement was minimal. When he was shown, he was missable. I hope never to see another movie like this for the rest of my life. This put a chink into the body of Canadian film that has usually kept up standards. Truly slow, unappealing and too much language and vulgarity for the rating.

Great romcom

[bakerj7 · 8/10 · 4 April 2021]

Great performances by all, fun movie, well done. Gonna have to wait for next season of The Expanse for those dark eyes and Belter accent ...

Not a comedy

[fluffchop · 1/10 · 25 November 2021]

Fat whinger complains and has a tantrums all over the place. Overly verbal chick speaks random crap. He's too fat for space. He would never be chosen. They're both total losers. The movie is too undefined.

I was bored for the first half hour...

[tailsofthewind · 1/10 · 31 January 2022]

...but pushed through to the 45 minute mark. In my opinion (glad you asked), if the viewer is watching the minutes drag by on the clock while trying to get through a movie, then it's not a good movie. I fast forwarded through the rest only to see that the entire movie looked like the first 15, 30, and 45 minutes.

Regrettably, I bought it, before I watched it. (sigh)

Hopefully, others see it's greatness.