National Anthem *** (2023, Charlie Plummer, Eve Lindley, Rene Rosado, Mason Alexander Park, Robyn Lively, Joey DeLeon) – Classic Movie Review 13,078

Charlie Plummer stars as 21-year old Dylan, who joins a community of queer ranchers and gay rodeo performers, in the sweet, crowd-pleasing 2023 film National Anthem.

Charlie Plummer stars as 21-year old loner Dylan, living in rural New Mexico and working as a casual construction worker to help to support his little brother Cassidy (Joey DeLeon) and alcoholic mother Fiona (Robyn Lively), in Luke Gilford’s 2023 American drama film National Anthem.

Pepe (Rene Rosado), the owner of a distant ranch, hires Dylan for a couple of weeks’ work at what turns out to be a community of queer ranchers and gay rodeo performers. There, Dylan falls for Sky (Eve Lindley), who attracts and is attracted to him, but Sky already has a man friend in the ranch owner Pepe who needs her. However, her real passion seems to be her beloved horse, while Dylan is saving up to buy an antique RV, which may be his real passion.

The queer ranchers and rodeo performers have pretty much found their own version of the American dream, and Dylan is magnetised by them, but ultimately he may be left still in search of his dream.

National Anthem 2023 really sweet movie, absolutely nothing happens, but it’s real nice anyway, saying all the right things, gently and politely, wisely and finally hauntingly. Charlie Plummer’s character is adorably goofy and romantic, so lost that someone’s got to find him real soon, but I guess that’s for the sequel.

Almost everybody in the film is tooth-achingly nice too, and incredibly tolerant of an impressive bunch of alternative lifestyle folks. A bit of anger, drama, violence, opposition, conflict would have been good, perhaps, but overall this film doesn’t even need it. sweet and nice wins the day! Wow! There’s a novelty. The good guys win, and there isn’t even a competition. It’s a film entirely without a bad guy. There’s a new world out there in New Mexico, called the promised land, the land of the free.

Charlie Plummer plays Dylan.

Charlie Plummer gives an extremely appealing performance, with lots of big closeups that demand subtle acting. It’s his show, his character is all important, but there are other memorable characters, and Eve Lindley as Sky, Mason Alexander Park as Carrie and Robyn Lively as Fiona all make a strong impression.

Plummer is all-boy, but he looks surprisingly good in a dress, lip-synch performing in a drag show, though much better in his character’s habitual cowboy hat and jeans. Somehow I think this is the point. Plummer is perfectly cast and makes an indelible mark.

It is filmed beautifully by cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi in New Mexico, with an eye to landscape and atmosphere and faces, vividly capturing all three.

National Anthem is directed by Luke Gilford in his feature film debut. He also writes the screenplay with David Largman Murray and Kevin Best, inspired by Gilford’s monograph National Anthem: America’s Queer Rodeo.

I’m puzzled by the title and the singing of the US National Anthem at the end. I guess you’d have to read Gilford’s monograph to understand.

The cast are Charlie Plummer as Dylan, Eve Lindley as Sky, Mason Alexander Park as Carrie, Rene Rosado as Pepe, Robyn Lively as Fiona, and Joey DeLeon as Cassidy.

It premiered at the 2023 SXSW Festival on 10 March 2023 and was released on 12 July 2024 by Variance Films.

Charlie Plummer was born on May 24, 1999.

Charlie Plummer stars memorably in Andrew Haigh’s 2017 British coming-of-age drama film Lean on Pete.

American actor Charlie Plummer was born on May 24, 1999, in Poughkeepsie, New York, to theatre actress Maia Guest and writer-producer John Christian Plummer.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,078

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com6