‘The Last Rodeo’ Review – Neal McDonough Is As Good Once As He Ever Was 

Neal McDonough rides again in The Last Rodeo (2025), Angel Studios

Angel Studios might be turning a corner, as long as they consistently tell stories with a bit more earnestness. They aren’t that far removed from Rule Breakers, a heroic real-life tale fumbled in the tone and execution, or its similarly underwhelming predecessors, Sight and Brave the Dark. Yet, they’ve managed to release two films in two months, for which I give a recommendation. You probably guessed King of Kings is one. 

Walter Dickens (Roman Griffin Davis) stands in amazement in The King of Kings (2025), Angel Studios

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The other is now in theaters and it stars the ubiquitous Neal McDonough, leading a strong cast of familiar faces that comes together to craft an also familiar, but still moving, narrative. The Last Rodeo is about a bull rider retired by injury named Joe Wainwright (McDonough), who gets back in the game for one last shot, although not merely to prove he is still the best. No, it’s far from an ego thing.

His grandson (Graham Harvey) is afflicted with a brain tumor, the same kind that claimed the life of his wife Rose (played by McDonough’s real wife, Ruve). Doctors can operate before it grows and the cancer spreads, but it’s going to cost a pretty penny – make that hundreds of thousands of them. To cover this cost when insurance and benefits won’t, Joe enters a competition open to former champion riders with a grand prize of $750,000.

Joe (Neal McDonough) wins another one in The Last Rodeo (2025), Angel Studios

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Thinking it’s his only chance, Joe rides again at a great risk to himself. You see, the reason he hung up his boots, his saddle, and his spurs in the first place was a drunken ride ending in a near-fatal fall years ago that left him paralyzed, and halted his career. His daughter, and the mother of his grandson (Sally, played by Sarah Jones), had to spend her youth nursing him back to health. Joe learned to walk again, but his relationship with her was severely strained.

Neal McDonough does more than play someone out to prove himself. He seems to be out to prove himself behind the scenes as he takes up the auteur-heavy reins of star, producer, and co-writer. He could have directed, too, but may have been too busy with all his other responsibilities. Fortunately, he found someone with quite the resume to wear those boots. 

Neal McDonough wants you to know how he got these scars in The Last Rodeo (2025), Angel Studios

Jon Avnet directed; you might not recognize the name, but one quick Google search later, you realize he’s been around the block a few times. Avnet has walked the line for decades, longer than some of us have been alive. As a producer, his credits start with Risky Business and include Less Than Zero, The Mighty Ducks franchise, the star-studded (yet so underappreciated) Three Musketeers remake from 1993, and Black Swan of all things.

As a director, his credits are a mixed feed bag. Fried Green Tomatoes, which has a following, is a highlight, but he also directed 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill. Sure, Avnet got to work with Pacino and De Niro on those; sadly, they aren’t among the critical darlings of the careers of those two wise guys.  

If you’re aware of that going into Last Rodeo, worry not, because Avnet does his best to put character first. He also does a decent job of putting viewers in the driver’s seat of a bull rider with POV and handheld camera work. It’s never shaky and edited smoothly, so you don’t have to fret about potential nausea either, as you would with Michael Bay. 

But, in the end, this is an actor’s affair. The first half and family drama are strong. McDonough is also compelling opposite Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump), who plays Joe’s manager, Charlie. Their characters are also veterans who served together. There is a palpable camaraderie put forth by McDonough and Williamson in their performances. 

Mykelti Williamson and Neal McDonough share a bond in The Last Rodeo (2025), Angel Studios

Their pairing generates most of the requisite faith-based themes. Williamson carries a Bible with him and reads from it when he and McDonough are on plane rides, long drives, and so forth. However, this movie isn’t trying to be King of Kings, Cabrini, or God’s Not Dead. It only skims the surface of the impact faith can have in someone’s life during a crisis, and gives a passive, fleeting treatment to Joe’s anger at God for things wrong in his life.

The Last Rodeo doesn’t beat you over the head with Scripture or church values (which might ring as good news to some of you), and maybe could’ve pushed those a little further, but it doesn’t suffer because of that.

The Last Rodeo’s movie poster via @thelastrodeomovie on Instagram

If you like the players involved or want faith-based cinema with more grit, then hopping on this saddle might come with a reward to collect, cowboy.

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The Last Rodeo

PROS

• Neal McDonough and the main cast
• Obvious CG is actually good, better than Marvel lately
• Cinematography
• Serious tone

CONS

• A twist at the end kind of undermines the premise, but not detrimentally
• Actual bull riders who appear in the film cannot act at all

Writer, journalist, comic reader, and Kaiju fan that covers all things DC and Godzilla. Been part of fandome since … More about JB Augustine

Mentioned In This Article: Angel Studios bull riding faith based cinema Jon Avnet Mykelti Williamson Neal McDonough review The Last Rodeo

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