Melodrama meets machismo in The Last Rodeo – a religiously-tinged western that combines the rough world of bull riding with a tender familiar crisis. It’s pure formulaic film fare, and a happy ending feels guaranteed from the beginning so there’s not a lot of tension despite some cool pulse-pounding rodeo action. 

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Neal McDonough plays Joe Wainwright, a stubborn rancher whose once bright bull riding career was cut short by a horrific accident – one that forced his daughter to become his caretaker and miss out on a normal high school experience. It’s revealed that the accident, combined with the death of his wife, led to quite the downward emotional spiral. His daughter Sally (Sarah Jones) now has a son of her own named Cody, and their family’s painful past is mostly a distant memory.

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Joe and Sally’s world is rocked when it’s discovered Cody has a brain tumor – one that requires a risky and pricy operation to save his life. It’s only then that the 50-year-old retiree decides the only solution is to take one last ride in hopes of bagging a $750,000 grand prize, and the “unlikely hero begins his triumphant rise to the top” story is set in motion. The rodeo scenes are by far the shining star of this movie, and some of the cinematography had me wishing I could be watching it on the big screen. Unfortunately where the film succeeds visually it fails in creating a story engaging enough to keep the average person invested for its two-hour runtime. 

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The Last Rodeo has its heart in the right place, but it’s too much of a slog to really recommend to anyone other than someone with a penchant for sentimental slop. Or LeeAnn Womack fans, since she has a random cameo. I’m not going to come down too hard on a film about the importance of family and the absurdity of the U.S. healthcare system, but I personally won’t be watching this one again.