Watch Our Review of The Last Rodeo Movie 2025

Knowing ourselves isn’t just about having an identity that we are aspiring to become. But another important thing is to remember where you came from. Each of us comes from a unique history. 

A Perfect Watch for a Small-Town 4th of July Tradition

Neal McDonough and Sarah Jones in The Last Rodeo (2025)
Angel Studios

And The Last Rodeo movie 2025 felt very fitting to watch around the 4th of July. I know this weekend is big for all rodeos, but our small town 4th of July celebration seems to be especially about the rodeo. Our town boasts the oldest rodeo in the state and we really go all out when it’s time for the annual celebration.

So to me, rodeo and Independence Day just kind of run together. I always get a thrill when I see the leader of the drill team riding around the arena, going faster and faster as the national anthem is sung to be joined by the rest of the team for the last words of the song. Every time it reminds me of how a single force made our nation to be joined by people from many other nations to become the country that we are today. 

For me though, I can’t really say that I’ve ever actually watched the rodeo. Every year my family volunteers to help the Knights of Columbus run the concession stand and I usually take orders. As our town doubles in size during Fourth of July week, there really isn’t much time to see anything between orders. Just this last year, I did see one bull ride. 

READ: These Best Movies For July 4th, New And Old, Will Leave You In A Patriotic Spirit!

The Last Rodeo Movie 2025 Explores the Cowboy Legacy, Cultural Identity, and the Virtue of Foolhardy Faith

Although I mentioned this in the video review we did of The Last Rodeo movie 2025, I wanted to spend a little more time talking about how rodeo is an important part of our culture. A very important part about fulfilling our role in life is knowing ourselves.

Like Tevye says of his people in The Fiddler on the Roof “Everyone of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.” Although I have my squibbles with the intention of The Fiddler on the Roof, I do believe Tevye has a point. 

Knowing ourselves isn’t just about having an identity that we are aspiring to become. This is wholesome and good because we can and should always see our imperfections and wish to do away with them to perfect ourselves to eventually become saints. But another important thing is to remember where you came from. Each of us comes from a unique history. 

The cowboys, for better or worse, are a part of our American identity. It is a history that we do not share with any other nation. Rodeo is a unique sport to the US. It’s a part of what makes us different from the other countries around the world. This sport is in essence a tribute to the stubbornness and foolhardiness of the American people. Think of George Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas.

Although they may sound like vices on the surface, these traits may be what we will have to hold onto when a time comes that our entire way of life is threatened from the outside world. 

We must be stubborn, holding on to the virtues we hold dear and not allowing others to pry them away from us. Stubborn to the point of putting ourselves in danger of death before we give in. Sounds like a rodeo star when he saddles up to possibly be crushed to death by a one ton animal - angry animal at that.

Neal McDonough and Graham Harvey in The Last Rodeo (2025)
Angel Studios

A second lesson we can learn from the cowboy is to be foolhardy. “Fools for Christ” is what Saint Paul tells us we are called to be. In the eyes of the world, life is the greatest good.

In the eyes of the children of light, being with God in heaven is the highest good. This puts us constantly at odds with those around us. We do things that the world thinks is foolish, like the religious brothers and sisters who give up everything and take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and yet live happy and satisfied lives - a thing unthinkable to our worldly counterparts.

READ: Top Picks: Inspiring Movies Coming Out of Angel Studios

This is not all to say that I think all cowboys are good, virtuous men. On the contrary, I think most of them are the worldly people that I have been talking about.

But I do think that the cowboy legacy is a part of our culture and a part of it that we should hold on to and be proud of. And the essence of what I’ve been talking about is beautifully captured in The Last Rodeo movie 2025 and I am grateful that this movie was released so that I could have an opportunity to reflect on the lessons that can be learned by the cowboys and rodeo legends.