Rubber' Movie Review

By Mark H. Harris, About.com Guide

Director Quentin Dupieux introduced his movie Rubber at the AFI Film Festival by stating simply that he directed it while naked, wearing only a black glove. If that comment makes your forehead furrow, Rubber might not be the movie for you, because it only gets stranger and more random from there.

The Plot

One day, in an anonymous Southwestern American desert, an anonymous car tire half buried in the sand lurches to life. It takes its first few wobbly "steps" (rolls) and quickly cultivates an appetite for destruction fed by the ability to roll over small objects (and animals) in its path.

Its true ability, however, is much more impressive. When it realizes that it can't roll over everything, the tire discovers that it has the telekinetic ability to explode objects (and again, animals) with its mind. It isn't long, of course, before it moves up the food chain.

Meanwhile, the tire's activity is being monitored by a group of binocular-toting spectators who have camped out in the desert. Under the guidance of an unnamed accountant-type (Jack Plotnick), they are partaking in a movie screening of sorts -- although the "movie" is the action in the film that we as the audience are watching. Confused? That's the point.

The End Result

As the kids say these days, Rubber is "meta." It breaks the fourth wall right off the bat when a small-town policeman named Chad stares into the camera and explains the purpose of the movie to the audience (both us the audience and the audience in the movie). It then proceeds to demolish the first, second and third walls, tearing down the ceiling to boot.

If it isn't evident from the shot of Chad emerging from the trunk of his police car, the film's stated purpose is to serve as an homage to "no reason." Why does the tire come to life? No reason. How does it have telekinetic powers? No reason. For some viewers, this might prove frustrating, but given the freedom of not having to worry about the whys and hows, Rubber proves to be a liberating, refreshing and often hilarious excursion that revels in the ridiculous.

It's the sort of avant-garde approach you might expect from a French filmmaker like Dupieux (who's also a house musician performing under the name Mr. Ozio), even though the movie is actually shot in the US with an American cast. It doesn't play like a horror flick -- more like a quirky indie comedy -- but the action (exploding heads anyone?) is certainly horrific and gory, and the tire (credited as "Steve") displays the cold-hearted demeanor and otherworldly persistence to be a classic horror villain. Or at least a cult icon.

While the concept behind Rubber might seem gimmicky and meaty enough for only a short film, Dupieux manages to keep it interesting -- if not fleetingly fascinating -- for a full 85 minutes. The pace, however, is leisurely, with extended montages of Steve rolling aimlessly around the desert, building atmosphere but perhaps testing some viewers' patience.

You (and by you, I mean me) are willing to forgive Rubber's shortcomings (including some uneven acting), however, because it's so fresh and fun. Its devil-may-care attitude, dark humor and love of the absurd spell out a recipe for a cult classic in the making.

The Skinny

Acting: C+ (A bit amateurish at times, reflecting its budget, but the main actors have solid comedic timing to pull off the gags.)

Direction: B- (Manages to keep the audience(s) interested with a quirky yet artsy approach.)

Script: B- (Refreshingly offbeat and surreal.)

Gore/Effects: B- (Impressive effects -- from exploding heads to self-propelling tires -- given the budget.)

Overall: B- (Fun, uber-weird and utterly original.)

Rubber is directed by Quentin Dupieux and is not rated by the MPAA. Release date: TBD.