Review of Rubber (2010) by Ron D — 11 Jul 2011

A movie about a serial killer tire. That's right, a tire. The round rubber thing on the wheels of your car. And you didn't mishear me; this movie is not just about a tire, but a serial killer tire.

I'm not sure I'd want to hold a conversation with a movie fan whose not at least somewhat curious about a film with such a premise. However, as we've been reminded on multiple occasions since the whole "grindhouse" revival, there is a difference between an inspired, off the wall premise, and the filmmakers actually being able to craft a worthwhile and quality film from their initial gimmick.

"Rubber" seems initially like it will be another wink-fest at the audience, rather than an actual film. The opening scene in which a sherrif addresses the audience, essentially telling us we have to accept that certain things in movies makes no sense is a pointless bit of meta self-indulgence from a movie that doesn't need it.

This scene shoiuld have been jettisoned completely in favor of opening with the tire's introductory scene, a lengthy and clever sequence that perfectly sets the tone for the film to come. With a just a few rambling movements, director Quentin Dupieux is able to establish the tire as an actual character.

Despite being an inanimate object, the audience can recognize its reactions to the various people, places and things it encounters. It pops up out of the desert sand one day, takes a few trys to right itself and start rolling along and, after crushing a few things in it's path and becoming obviously frustrated with the things it can not crush simply by rolling over them, realizes it has a taste for murder.

Lucky thing then it has the ability to explode animals and human heads. It also discovers it has a thing for a hotel maid. And why the hell not? This is already a more wholely-drawn and interesting character than most slasher film serial killers.

Unfortunately, like many films of this type, "Rubber" can't really sustain the inspired vitality of it's early scenes. As it goes along its one joke wears thin, and the more heads that explode is not necessarily the funnier.

That's not to say individual scenes don't take off throughout, there is plenty of deadpan dialog ("Its not dead. It reincarnated itself as a killer tricycle.") and the movie remains entertaining even through some dry patches (the people watching from afar seem particularly pointless).

Overall "Rubber" is well-made and better than a good many films in its genre which, if you are a fan of, you probably shouldn't miss it.