Summary
A thoughtful and unforced hangout film, Rocky’s captures the ebb and flow of old friendships with humour, heart, and an understated authenticity.
The hangout film is a time-honoured tradition, often following characters as they transition from one stage of life to the next. While typically the domain of teen fare, it becomes even more compelling when applied to later-life changes. Such is the case with Benjamin Cohen and Max Strand’s ROCKY’S, a film that navigates the grief process through a group of old friends.
In their youth, Charlie (Jasai Chase-Owens) and his friends loitered in the parking lot of the titular 24/7 neighbourhood deli. But after going to college, Charlie drifted apart from his hometown crew. Following the death of his ex-girlfriend, he returns for the funeral—and a reluctant reunion.
From Charlie’s perspective, everything is the same but different. Danny (Gil Perez-Abraham) is secretly seeing Sophia (Ani Mesa), unbeknownst to her boyfriend. Noah (Branden Lindsay) is dating someone nobody believes exists. Socks (Steven Maier), the wildcard, wields a realistic BB gun with careless ease. With the funeral looming and old tensions simmering, a breaking point feels inevitable.
As expected from a hangout film, ROCKY’S is in no hurry to force conclusions—or even resolutions. Shot on location in a parking lot overlooking a baseball field, its world feels untethered to a specific time. At moments, it evokes the 1990s, the spiritual home of the genre; at others, it feels sharply contemporary. Yet more than anything, the appeal lies in simply spending time with these people.
While most of the cast aren’t newcomers, their relatively unknown faces—paired with the film’s unhurried rhythm—lend it a lived-in authenticity. Balancing comedy and pathos, Cohen and Strand seamlessly juxtapose a parking lot brawl with quiet moments of revelation and raw honesty. Comparisons to Cameron Crowe and Kevin Smith are inevitable, but ROCKY’S never feels like an imitation.
Skipping the typical indie festival circuit for a straight-to-digital release, ROCKY’S seems content to find its own groove. It may not revolutionise the genre, but it reinforces that there’s a hungry audience for films like this—ones that don’t need to shout to be heard.
2025 | USA | DIRECTOR: Benjamin Cohen and Max Strand | WRITERS: Benjamin Cohen and Max Strand | CAST: Stanley Simmons, Ben Cook, Gil Perez-Abraham, Jasai Chase Owens, Ani Mesa, Sharlene Cruz, Steven Maier, Brandon Lindsay, Dante Palimteri, Dani Foster | DISTRIBUTOR: Gravitas Ventures | RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 21 January 2025 (Digital)
