Review of Rubber (2010) by Will H — 09 Feb 2012

Judging from the current 47% user approval rating, Rubber was not well-liked by the majority of the general public. It may be a little too meta for some, and a lot too absurd for others. Hell, the premise itself, a inanimate car tire in the desert that becomes sentient, gains psychokinetic powers, and proceeds to becoming a head-exploding killing machine, is completely, totally, and utterly bonkers.

But, in my opinion, Quentin Dupieux's directorial debut is the work of a completely demented evil filmic genius, who isn't afraid to take a near-ridiculous amount of risks and serve up a script that will confound and infuriate an enormous amount of people, in order to deliver a film experience, however juvenile and exploitative it may be, that is truly unlike any other.

Rubber is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience, and that's the highest praise one could give to almost any film. Most of the actors are rather one-note, though Stephen Spinella almost definitely is present to serve as the audience's window into this world of absurdity, and he plays the role with aplomb, jumping in and outside of the narrative with a completely fourth-wall-breaking glee.

Jack Plotnick and Wings Hauser get in a few clever zingers, but really, this film belongs to the tire, who's brought to life through the use of old-fashioned camera tricks, and is more real than many flesh-and-blood characters in today's cinema.

Rubber may be a movie you'll despise, but if you have a high capacity for absurdity, metanarrative, and high concept filmmaking, you may enjoy it immensely.