Rubber

I saw this movie on Netflix a while back and never really paid it too much attention. As it flashed by, it looked like some sort of documentary on tires and that's not really my scene, baby. But, then I started to write this blog and take a deeper look at some of the overlooked gems in the Netflix archive. The movie that I pass over today may be the next Machete in disguise. A diamond in the rough, so to speak. Why can't a movie about a tire go on to be a hidden cinematic masterpiece?

Because it's really, really stupid, that's why.

Rubber's a 2010 French comedy  horror  drama  thriller revenge movie. It's hard to classify this simply because it has way too much going on, but too little at the same time. I guess I'll start at the beginning and let you make up your own mind.

The film's premise is that all good films have an element of "no reason". Things happen and choices are made for no real purpose other than it's a movie. So, Frenchie-French director/writer Quentin Dupieux made an entire movie about no reason. It follows a sentient car tire with the "psychokenetic" ability to kill people by blowing their head off, a la "Scanners", as it goes on a killing spree in the desert. And he follows one female driver across the desert like he's infatuated with her. When he finally meets his end, he gets reincarnated as a tricycle. And his name, according to the credits is Robert. No, I'm not making any of this up.

There's no origin or reason for this sudden turn of events. It just wakes up in the desert one day with psychic powers and a penchant for head asplodin'.

Top that with an in-story sheriff that frequently destroys the fourth wall and is introduced by climbing out of the trunk of a car at the beginning to give his diatribe on the point of the movie. (spoiler: there is none) At one point he tries to convince his fellow officers that they're all in a movie by having one of them shoot him. It seems that the movie has become real life...

And then there's the audience watching the whole thing from a vantage point in the desert.They act as sort of a Greek chorus for the first half of the film breaking down events in a meta sort of way. They watch events unfold through binoculars for two days without food and at the beginning of the 3rd day, they're fed poisoned turkey. Since the movie can't end until the audience stops watching, they have to kill them.

If this is sounds surreal, just imagine watching it. The film is all over the place. It tries really hard to be edgy and experimental while also trying to be campy and zany. It really is like trying to watch a feature length student film. Much like a carpenter's nail in a tread, there's something in this movie, but you have to really dig for it. 

Also, there's a fracking TIRE that fracking KILLS PEOPLE by BLOWING UP THEIR fracking HEADS with his MIND BULLETS!

That's telekinesis, Kyle!

That premise alone could have sustained a movie for about 45-60 minutes if it had been a campy, slasher type of flick, especially if it went full throttle with it and accepted its ludicrous plot at face value. Can you imagine watching a psychic and killer car tire sneaking up on an unsuspecting co-ed and her dumb jock boyfriend (while they're having sex of course). The jock's head asplodes, the girl screams, and runs through the forest as we follow on a chase cam. Cut to the police chief standing over the treadmark covered body of the girl thinking it's a serial hit-and-runner. The girl's best friend who's also the chief's daughter knows better, but who would believe her? It'd be an roller-coaster romp and a guaranteed cult classic! 

Heck, if they can make a movie out of a killer turkey going on a Thanksgiving rampage (which is in the queue, coming soon!), then they can make this one. But as a "deconstruction of film" or some other pompous b.s., it runs flat after about 20 minutes. So much wasted potential.

Of course, I might have totally missed the point. Such is the danger of late night, half-asleep reviewing...

Sam's rating: 1 of 5 formula ounces.