As 'The Last Rodeo' Hits Theaters, We Check the 'Woke-O-Meter'

Tonight it's bull-ridin' time!

Well, when Neal McDonough made that special deal with Angel Studios for a first-look deal, I never assumed this first film that they acquired would look so exciting. As it comes to ratings there will always be a difference of opinion on how good, bad, objective or subjective that rating system (or those reviewers) will be, and this new film starring Neal McDonough and distributed by Angel Studios will be no exception.

Different and often unfair reviews will happen but certain common complaints can come through the fog. For example, some say it's a bit long (needing a better edit), and it may not be perfect for really young kids, but neither plot, nor performance, nor filming issues appear to be a common complaint. The craft for the most part appears to be there.

Rotten Tomatoes now gives it a 71% official reviewer score, before the general public hits the theaters. But many of the complaints there appear unfair, such as calling it a mess, melodramatic, or heavy-handed. Subjective descriptors.

We will probably not all agree. After all, what is good craftsmanship in filmmaking? Is it an objective standard? How do we communicate that standard? Many reviewers fail to do this today.

And what cultural worldview informs your thoughts on the themes and values embedded in the film? All of these opinions get reflected in one's review of a film, and even the rating system itself can weigh one kind of value over another.

As it comes to most current Hollywood content, for example, many of the films may look like a million bucks, but their themes are disgusting and their moral premise is completely flawed. Why even watch a film if it has these kinds of issues? It may as well be smut. And yet Hollywood reviewers either ignore this, or condone it.

These considerations, as it comes to a film's ratings, are exactly the reason we have rating systems... not just to find out if the acting appears to be natural, but also if it has inappropriate content for underage kids. And yet, there are other rating sites that care about cultural, moral, and social impact as well as the filmmaking craft that Hollywood excels at.

Even new conservative-leaning sites have grown, such as a site called "Worth It Or Woke?" They do charge a bit in memberships for full ratings, but they offer a wider range of values by which to rate a film. This means that when they say they review it, they give a full breakdown of the varied values you might care about (such as Story, Cinematography, Performance, and Direction), and then they give an overall grade.

But the best part of Worth it or Woke is the "Woke-O-Meter." As it comes to The Last Rodeo, people voted and determined that this film was 100% BASED. Had they voted on the other side of this meter, the film would be called "WOKE." This is really fun to check out for a lot of films– especially if you haven't seen the film yet.

You can checkout the site here.

There is also the growing reviewer watering hole, called Criticless, but they do not have a review of The Last Rodeo, just like some of my other great go-to reviewers such as The Collision, or Daily Wire also have no reviews yet. Why is that? Criticless is a place for almost anyone to start reviewing work, so apparently nobody has done this yet.

There are other sites besides Rotten Tomatoes & Criticless & Worth It or Woke that curate reviews as well, but mostly what you'll find (in the arena of conservative Christian perspectives) is individual writers and sites such as MovieGuide or Hollywood in Toto. Sadly, HiT has also not reviewed the film yet, either.

That's a shame.

Nevertheless there is a growing realization hitting some Christian reviewers, however. Slowly but surely, many reviewers are starting to understand that not only do we need to "show up" if we want to make a difference, but also we need to offer additional varied considerations that Hollywood or faith-based outlets didn't used to cater to. We are starting to "get it"... that both the content considerations as well as the filmmaking itself (ie. the "worldview" being reflected, as well as the "craftsmanship" applied to make it) matter. In the past it may have been only the craft that was considered in Hollywood, while in faith-based circles it was only the content. But now we are seeing that we may need to include both sides of the coin in order to give a more skilled and honest review. Imagine that.

For example, the MovieGuide reviews includes moral content, but they do not include barely any discussion on filmmaking craft. I hope this can change in the future.

Here's a longer review by Plugged In (a ministry of Focus on the Family) with only a few small content warnings. I think more content warning are necessary, but they discuss some of them in the review itself.

Or you can simply write a nuanced review without special bells & whistles. Just a succinct review, but one that skillfully explains your more complete thoughts. Here's a really great review (probably the best here) by "World" (World News Group), which is a Christian News organization. It gives great descriptions on what makes this a great and useful film, especially to families. The good and the not-so-good.

But there is also a great interview with Neal McDonough here.

And of course check out the last trailer for The Last Rodeo before you go to see the film!

Is it worth it to you? I'd say yes!

I hope to see you in the theaters!!!

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Did you enjoy this reminder that The Last Rodeo hits theaters tonight, the introduction to the Woke-O-Meter, and a quick summation of the reviews? Let us know down below (with sub) or on our social media!