Director: Shane Belcourt
Writer: Shane Belcourt, Duane Murray (Screenplay)
Starring: Kristian Bruun, Cara Gee, Meghan Heffern, Anna Hopkins, Morgan David Jones
Plot: After feeling he has nothing left to live for on earth, a lonely geologist tries to qualify for a one-way mission to Mars with the help of an offbeat musician who is just as lost as he is.
Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Realistic Look at Recovery
Story: Red Rover starts as we meet Damon (Bruun) a geologist who lives with his ex-Beatrice (Heffern) and her new partner Mark (Jones) who want to by him out of the mortgage, he meets Phoebe (Gee) who travels around in her own astronaut costume, where she explains about the Red Rover mission to Mars.
Damon decides to start training for the program with Phoebe helping him sound like a more likely candidate to travel to Mars, which will see the two become friends and support going into the future.
Thoughts on Red Rover
Characters – Damon is a geologist who has been through a break-up, he has moved into the basement, while his partner has started dating again, he is feeling helpless until he meets a stranger who shows him something to aim for, being part of a space mission to Mars, all while opening his mind to the world once again. Phoebe is a Red Rover sales person who becomes friends with Damon, she always brings a positive side to the conversation, even though she is going through her own battles and needs the friendship just as much as Damon. Beatrice is the ex of Damon, she has moved on, but has remained close to him, as their friendship is still strong, she does offer to buy him out of the house to help him move on with life too. Mark is the new boyfriend of Beatrice, he does have a lot of differences to Damon, always making him feel insecure.
Performances – Kristian Bruun is great in the leading role, which sees him show the heartbreak in life and the struggle to continue until something new comes his way. Cara Gee is great too, showing all the positivity her character needing to cover up her own pain. The rest of the cast work well for the story, while letting Kristian take the center stage.
Story – The story here follows a man that seems to have lost everything in his personal life searching for something in life, which he finds in Phoebe who shows him an idea of a mission to Mars, which gives him a chance to escape his pain. This is a story that shows us just how difficult life can be when you feel like you have lost everything, including finding hope in a location you would never have imagined too. The way the story is told shows us just how difficult change will be going forward and needing to find that thing that will give you strength that can help you get through.
Comedy/Romance – The comedy in this film does come from seeing the different events that Damon goes through, with the romance showing us just how difficult love can be in a realistic way.
Settings – The film does us the settings to show first the awkward situation Damon finds himself in, as well as him searching for an outlet.
Scene of the Movie – Decision time.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Mark is annoying, even though he is meant to be.
Final Thoughts –This is a strong look at how love can be taken away when you least expect it and finding a new direction in life can be harder than you would think, but it will be worth the wait.
Overall: Fun Rom Com.
