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      Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo

      Released Sep 17, 2010 1h 29m Documentary List
      43% 7 Reviews Tomatometer 71% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score Going beyond the bars of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary system, director Bradley Beesley follows several convicted women as they work towards competing in 2007's annual prison-wide rodeo. Shining a light on a curiously gladiator-esque spectacle, Beesley's film combines rough stock action with tales of hardship. Hailing from the state with the highest incidence of female incarceration in the U.S., the women share poignant stories of broken homes, drug addiction and the loss of their children. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Apr 09 Buy Now

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      Critics Reviews

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      Robert Abele Los Angeles Times Informally sketched but deeply felt... Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 24, 2010 Full Review Rachel Saltz New York Times These are vivid, flawed, even introspective characters. And they're classic American strivers. With rodeo, but not just that, they hope to go beyond where they have been. Rated: 3/5 Sep 17, 2010 Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle There's a potentially more interesting follow-up doc ghosting right behind this one. Rated: 2.5/4 Sep 16, 2010 Full Review Sarah Manvel Critic's Notebook The whole enterprise ends up ringing hollow. Aug 9, 2018 Full Review Frank Lovece Film Journal International Interesting but uncritically naïve look at male and female convicts in Oklahoma, competing in one of the nation's last two prison rodeos. Oct 4, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (3) audience reviews
      Audience Member I've seen a couple prison rodeo documentaries (I'm still waiting on a prison boxing or football documentary) & they all seem to be the same.Sweethearts has to be the best of the bunch.It not only had just the female inmates but the male inmates in it as well which made it more interesting then the other 1's out there Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review walter m "Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo" is an illuminating, yet repetitive, documentary about the Oklahoma State Prison Rodeo, the only rodeo held behind bars that has been operating since 1940. And 2006 is the first year women have been allowed to compete. What's stated is the possibility that the audience views this as gladiatorial combat, especially Make Money the Hard Way,(Trust me. They are not kidding.) and want to see blood. Me personally, I root for everybody to do well in the rodeo, and that rooting interest carries over into the convicts' everyday lives, hoping they turn them around. Actually, a good deal of the documentary deals with the women's lives outside of the arena behind bars. Of all states, Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rate and jails the highest percentage of women, 80% of whom are mothers. One person links their toughness to getting in trouble with the law but a lot of that toughness comes from surviving behind bars, separated from loved ones. Actually, jail time can be arbitrary and a lot of these women are in jail on drug charges.(One has been in jail for 13 years for murder and is now up for parole.) The rodeo serves as a form of positive reinforcement, strange as that may seem to those too frightened to ever think of riding a bull.(And the documentary provides another good reason not to.) In fact, the rodeo provides a jolt of adrenaline and a break in a nearly endless routine, not to mention for a very brief space of time, a taste of freedom. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member As someone who works in Corrections, I really felt this film did a great job of showing how recreational activities can be an incentive for good behavior in the prison system. You get a grasp of how much it means to the inmates to have something to look forward to all year long, and to be able to compete and win something gives them a sense of accomplishment. This film also allows you to see into the lives of the inmates, what they did to get to prison and also how they have changed. There are some touching moments as some people are reunited with family for the first time in years. This film may be called Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, but it is about so much more than the competition. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Going beyond the bars of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary system, director Bradley Beesley follows several convicted women as they work towards competing in 2007's annual prison-wide rodeo. Shining a light on a curiously gladiator-esque spectacle, Beesley's film combines rough stock action with tales of hardship. Hailing from the state with the highest incidence of female incarceration in the U.S., the women share poignant stories of broken homes, drug addiction and the loss of their children.
      Director
      Bradley Beesley
      Producer
      Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens
      Screenwriter
      Bradley Beesley
      Production Co
      Roadside Cinema
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 17, 2010, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 10, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 29m
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