Owen Wilson Loses his Underage Son at Travis Scott-Headlined Music Festival
DIRECTED BY JEREMY GARELICK/2026
After I waged a seriously-voiced recent social media attack on film “influencers” edging out actual critical journalism, a friend suggested that I go take in a “knee-slapper comedy.” Well, I tried. Admittedly, Rolling Loud: The Movie wouldn’t have been my first choice of what to go see in the theater this weekend, but my 16-year-old son is a fan of the comedy team behind the film (American High, they’re called), and he therefore asked to go see it. Off we went.
Owen Wilson plays a lily-livered father of a son, Zion (Christian Convery), who’s 13 going on 26. Zion desperately wants to go to the big Rolling Loud music festival, despite his overprotective mom’s staunch disapproval. Wilson, however, caves, and takes Zion to Rolling Loud. Zion immediately goes missing in the massive crowd of revellers, prompting Wilson to spend the whole movie looking for him. All the while, Wilson gets stuck with a pervy idiot from work (Matt Rife) he can’t shake. A lot of Rife goes a very long way, I will say. Think Finding Nemo, but at a massive thumping rap festival, and not very funny. Christine Ko, on the other hand, who plays a crazed festival volunteer and inserts herself into the action, is a breath of fresh air (in a venue where actual fresh air is likely non-existent) – Although some very strange choices were made regarding things her character voluntarily does.
One reason I said yes to this is because Ketchup Entertainment is distributing it, and I’m tremendously grateful to them for salvaging Coyote vs. Acme. After spending opening weekend money on Rolling Loud: The Movie, I’m inclined to say we’re even. Yes, it’s the kind of raunchy R-rated comedy no one makes anymore; too bad it’s comedy set pieces often come off as desperate and creatively tired. Henry Winkler, who’s always nice to see in a movie, put in a half day’s work as Wilson’s intimidating boss. None of that at work stuff needed to be in the film, but hey… Henry Winkler.
I don’t know American High from Adam, but according to my son, the familiar faces from the online comedy sketches (set in an abandoned school building that director Jeremy Garelick reportedly owns) aren’t in their own movie very much. Between having a big famous movie star like Owen Wilson at the forefront and whatever politics were necessary to feature the real Rolling Loud festival, I suspect the American High people found themselves in over their heads with this project. The “American High” logo is essentially just branding here, ala “National Lampoon”. Adding to the awkwardness is the prominence of controversial headliner Travis Scott (blamed for a deathly crowd crush at one of his big shows in 2021), and the involvement of Live Nation, who may well be trying to clean up its own association to that tragedy while also showcasing a blunt-inhaling Scott.
Owen Wilson can play this sort of part in his sleep, and that might almost be what we’re seeing here. Even with all the incessant thumping. This movie is a box-ticker, with few real laughs and no surprises. But it’s not assaulting or disgusting, either. If anything, it’s weirdly uptight. The whole project is based on a real-life incident that happened to director Garelick in taking his own son to Rolling Loud. Huh. A raunchy comedy needs an uptight milieu to play off of, but the Rolling Loud concert doesn’t register as the ideal foil.