Simon Rex's 2021 Comedy From An Oscar-Winning Director Is A Hidden Gem On Netflix

Simon Rex is a "that guy" actor — the kind of performer most people recognize from something, even if you can't immediately name them. He broke out in the "Scary Movie" franchise and went on to appear in various other silly comedies like "National Lampoon's Pledge This!" and "Superhero Movie," but the San Francisco native showed he can do more than play goofy guys in the 2021 film "Red Rocket," which was recently added to Netflix.

There are still funny moments in "Red Rocket," but it's far darker than the kind of films Rex is best known for. He plays retired adult film actor Mikey "Saber" Davies, who moves back to his Texas hometown after falling on hard times to try and get his life back on track. The film comes from director Sean Baker, who would later win the Oscar for best director for "Anora," another film that lives and dies by its lead performance (Mikey Madison scooped best lead actress with one of the standout movie performances of 2024).

It turns out that Baker pretty much wrote the lead role in "Red Rocket" with Rex in mind. "Five years ago when this idea came up, I was speaking to one of my producers, and I said, 'If we ever make this film... this guy!,'" he told The Film Experience. "And I forwarded one of Simon's Vines or Instagram. But then we went off and developed another film." If you only know Rex from the "Scary Movie" films, you owe it to yourself to see another side of him.

"Red Rocket" didn't get the same kind of awards attention as "Anora" did, but it still did extremely well with critics. It has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics raved about Simon Rex's performance. "A beguiling and beautiful film about a total toerag, 'Red Rocket' is a unique character study," Alex Godfrey of Empire magazine wrote, adding, "Mikey Saber will charm your socks off, and you'll hate him for it." Even if "Red Rocket" didn't catch the attention of the Academy, Rex still took home a few acting awards for his work, including best male lead at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

One thing you may start to notice if you watch enough Sean Baker films is that he tends to explore similar subject matter, namely people within marginalized communities. Mikey in "Red Rocket" is a former adult film star. 2015's "Tangerine" follows a transgender sex worker, while 2017's "The Florida Project" is about a little girl and her mother living in poverty and trying to survive at a motel. And, of course, the titular character in "Anora" works as an exotic dancer.

Many filmmakers overlook or demonize these types of people, but Baker's movies take care to show them all as undeniably human, flaws and all. Mikey in "Red Rocket" is probably Baker's most despicable protagonist yet. He's deeply narcissistic and has no issue with exploiting others, so it's a testament to Rex that he still manages to make Mikey somewhat charming. You can check out "Red Rocket" on Netflix, but just to answer the question now: Yes, Rex is wearing a prosthetic during those scenes.