4.28.2011

RUBBER.

I watched this via iTunes rental and, honestly, have very little to say about it. Why? For 2 reasons. First, and most importantly, if the description " a movie about a tire that kills people with psychokinetic powers" sounds awesome, then nothing I say will make you see this more or less than you already would have. Second, I just don't have much to say.

I've already really told you the plot. Yeah. That's about it. There's a side-plot where a bunch of people watch the events like a movie, but in a desert and through binoculars. There are a couple guys, one a guy in a suit and the other a cop, who apparently know this is fake and are just going along with it for as long as the audience in the desert is alive and watching. Despite the fact they set them up there to begin with, they try a few different ways to kill them off as soon as possible.

There's no explanation for any events. In fact, things are just done at pure random and for no reason. And that is, in fact, the reason. The movie starts off with the cop showing up, getting out of the trunk, grabbing a glass of water, and talking to the screen (breaking the fourth wall) about how the greatest movies ever made have moments of "no reason" and how this movie is like a love letter to "no reason." Then he pours out the glass of water and climbs back into the trunk of the cop car. So yes, there are a lot of things done pointlessly and randomly for no reason just for the sake of being weird--strangely, the killer tire being the least of it.

My favorite moments were, of course, the more meta moments. When the couple characters acknowledged they were in a movie (particularly one scene where the cop tries to tell everyone they can go home, that everything is over, and talks another cop into shooting him as proof everything is fake), it's fun. Unfortunately, when you have a movie that sounds awesome like this, you'd expect it to be a ton of fun... and then it turns out to be just decent. It's not a laugh riot by any means. There were a lot of head-tilting moments and a lot of moments that were fun just because of what they were. But looking at the overall picture, it just didn't live up to expectations.

So should you check it out? Sure. If that premise sounded like fun to you, then you'll enjoy it to some degree. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. If you think it sounds like the stupidest movie you've ever heard of, then no... don't bother. The movie probably won't change your mind. So that's my verdict: If you want to see it, do--you'll probably enjoy it; if you don't think it sounds cool, don't bother.


I Am McLovin!

(P.S. I know my review seemed slightly more negative or 'blah', but the movie gets a bunch of credit not only for originality but for guts. And it was entertaining to a point. If it came on TV, I might give it a watch for a bit. And visually, the movie was shot very well. I just think the final product could have been more... frivolous.)

1 comment:

  1. I didn't have a lot to say about Rubber either because as they clearly state in the beginning, there is no purpose to the film except pure entertainment, which can be summed in the short explanation of "that kille tire movie."

    There's really no deeper meaning here, so make no bones about not having much to say. Check out another absurd French film A Town Called Panic when you get a chance. Only that one is in French.

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