‘Roped’ Review- Cheesy Rodeo Romance

This film streamed in 2020.

Roped is a rodeo romance directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino based on a screenplay written by John Ducey. The film was made by ESX Entertainment and Forrest Films. It has this very interesting tagline: “Love is worth the risk.”

Cowboy Colton Burtenshaw (Josh Swickard) and the rodeo he’s with roll into the small progressive town of Potter Creek, where city-councilman and animal rights activist Robert Peterson (Robert Peterson) is trying to get the citizens to boycott the event. The councilman’s daughter Tracy (Lorynn York), and her little brother Luke (Cooper Lundeen), run into Colton at the town cafe. At first, Tracy keeps him at arm’s length, but as she gets to know him, she finds that the cowboy life is not what she thinks it is, even as her dad tries to shut it down.

This movie is a comfort movie. It has a very simple plot that moves at a steady pace with no riptide twists or jarring shock value. The acting is decent, nothing extraordinary, but nothing bad either. It was especially good to see John Schneider as the harsh director of the rodeo.

I also liked how the movie defends the cowboy life and rodeos. That is an area of life that does not get a whole lot of exploration, so that aspect of the film was appreciated.

Now, the movie is cheesy. It follows every single trope that is present in a romantic film. You got the controlling father, the wannabe rebellious daughter, the curious little brother, the young man who challenges the stinginess of the town, a harsh storm scene, and so on. A commenter on the film’s IMDb page said the movie was “Footloose but with cowboys instead of dancing.” That is a spot-on observation.

Bottom line, Roped is hampered by its overuse of tropes and its cheesy atmosphere, but it is a decent comfort movie that shows the cowboy life.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Minor foul language, Some violence

FAVORITE QUOTE: I won’t be hiding.

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or anime you would like me to review.