Movie Review: Rubber (2011)

The idea of a tire that falls in love with a girl and uses telekinetic powers to blow up the heads of anyone that gets in his way is a unique idea for a film if I’ve ever heard one. Add to that his name is Robert and he also likes to watch television and you’re just giving me more reasons to watch. And, I guess, as far as movies about telekinetic tires go, Rubber it’s as much half-bad as it is half-good.

The problem, and why I’m not jumping up and down and telling you to rush to your cable box and order this one, is this is a story without much possibility. It does, however, extend beyond the opening sentence of this review, which is a blessing… and a curse.

Writer-director Quentin Dupieux introduces the film as a police car runs over a series of randomly placed chairs in the middle of a desert road. The car stops, a police officer climbs out of the trunk and begins a speech detailing the “no reason” aspects of movies. “Why was E.T. brown?” he asks before answering his own question. “No reason.”

He recites this speech to a pack of spectators whom are then given binoculars and told to look off in the distance, which is where they witness the birth of Robert, the tire with telekinetic powers.

Just who are these people? Why are they watching him? How does a tire have telekinetic powers? I think you get my drift, and it’s a theme we’re reminded of regularly throughout the film as if Dupieux wasn’t sure we’d stick with him for 82 minutes if he didn’t hammer home the idea of “no reason”, which really should have been the film’s tagline.

The spectators become a larger part of the story as the film plays on, but it soon reaches a point where Rubber is nothing more than an experimental idea with a large curiosity factor more than anything else.

Dupieux does manage to stage some interesting scenes and was able to give some semblance of “life” to an inanimate piece of rubber, which is to be commended. To learn all the shots of the tire as it motors through each scene was done practically, without any CG effects, is actually quite impressive.

And if you want another behind-the-scenes nugget, Dupieux shot the film himself digitally on a Canon 5D, which reminds me of the recent Paramount acquisition out of Sundance, Like Crazy, which was shot on a Canon 7D. Filmmaking is getting cheaper thanks to digital and as a result filmmakers can make experimental films such as Rubber, allowing them to explore a story that shows some imagination and not break the bank doing so.

The only performance worth picking out of the pack comes from Stephen Spinella as the campy police officer I mentioned earlier. His role extends beyond the introduction I mentioned earlier and he has a way about him that is equally inept and annoyed, which makes for a fun character as he gets caught between his own fiction and a nonsensical reality. I guess I could also mention Wings Hauser, but primarily because his character reminded me a lot of a character I might find in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Rubber, in fact, seems to be making a distinct attempt to feel like a Tarantino flick in terms of its dialogue and its look, but that is a connection that only goes skin deep. Dupieux has plenty of more work to do if he wants to match Tarantino.

Comparisons aside, if you’re like me and the idea of a tire with killing powers is just too much to pass up, then hit the cable box now and give this a watch. However, it won’t hurt you to wait. While this is a fun one to have in your back pocket if the conversation with your friends ever turns to movies, Magnolia is already set to release it on DVD and Blu-ray on June 7, so you’ll be able to check it out from Netflix soon enough if you want to wait. After all, it really is more of a curio feature and not one I think will be making your list of favorite films.

GRADE: C

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