Rubber

MOVIE REVIEW OF RUBBER (2010) - R

Cast
Director	Quentin Dupieux	Runtime: 1hr.22min. (82 min.)
Lieutenant Chad	.....	Stephen Spinella
Accountant	.....	Jack Plotnick
Man in Wheelchair	.....	Wings Hauser
Sheila	.....	Roxane Mesquida
Film Buff Ethan	.....	Ethan Cohn
Film Buff Charley	.....	Charley Koontz
Dad	.....	Daniel Quinn
Son	.....	Devin Brochu
Teenager Cindy	.....	Hayley Holmes
Teenager Fiona	.....	Hayley Ramm
Black Woman	.....	Celcelia Antoinette
Mr. Hughes	.....	David Bowe
Zach	.....	Remy Thorne
Cleaning Lady	.....	Tara Jean O'Brien
Cop Xavier	.....	Thomas F. Duffy
Cop Luke	.....	Pete Di Cecco
Cop Doug	.....	James Parks
Cop Denise	.....	Courtenay K. Taylor
Cop Eric	.....	Black Robbins
Truck Driver	.....	Michael Ross
Hitchhiker	.....	Gaspard Augé
Tire Burner	.....	Pedro Winter
Paramedic	.....	Eloy Lara
Movie Buff Spectator	.....	Gayle Kate
Killer Tire	.....	Robert

PLOT SUMMARY

A lonely desert with a bunch of chairs scattered along a dirt road. One car comes down the road, carefully smashing each chair in its way, and even those that are not. The car stops. A police officer jumps out of the trunk and starts a dialogue to what we think is the camera. However, we learn he is actually talking to a group of spectators who have come to see a movie? He explains that every movie has an element of completely indescribable origin. He calls it the element of no reason.

The spectators are each given a pair of binoculars and are directed to turn around to see the show. We never see anything in the other direction, however, what we see is apparently what the spectators are seeing through the binoculars.

At first there is nothing. Then someone spots a trash dump and the fun begins. We are focused on a rubber tire buried in the dirt. The tire starts to wiggle, and eventually works itself out of the dirt and starts to innocently roll away. As the tire is rolling along, it comes across a plastic bottle in its path. After a couple of failed attempts, it finally gets up the courage to hesitantly roll over the bottle, crushing it. Next, he encounters a scorpion. Here, he rolls right over the scorpion, killing it...not so hesitantly.

The tire keeps rolling along and comes across a glass beer bottle. He cannot destroy this bottle by rolling over it. He starts to vibrate. As the vibration increases, an ear-piercing shrill sound starts to emanate from the tire, and the bottle explodes. Next, the tire does the same thing to a tin can. The tire goes on its way, eventually blowing up living things amongst which is a rabbit.

Meanwhile, the spectators are watching all this through their binoculars. An accountant-type man stops by to bring them food and to make sure they keep watching the movie. The tire finally reaches the road where he spots a young girl in a sports car. He starts to vibrate, causing the car to stall. From there the point of the movie becomes the tire's pursuit of this girl. The tire simply destroys anything and anyone in its way. The manner in which he kills people is reminiscent of the exploding head in the classic movie Scanners.The police play an odd part by seemingly being part of the movie within a movie hoax all throughout the movie.

Finally, something goes wrong with the movie hoax and...well, from here you'll just have to watch the movie!!!!

TECH INSPECTION

There isn't much plot to this movie so there isn't much to critique in this area. Although it is light on plot, that's not really why this movie was made. In fact, I believe the point of this movie was to have no reason, which it does very well. I do believe that this movie has the most original idea that I have seen in a very long time. I have heard others say that there is no such thing as an original idea, but this comes pretty close. The whole movie is spent trying to figure out what is real, what isn't, and why. There really is no resolution, but I don't believe there is anything to resolve.

At the very end of the movie there is an extra surprise. I hesitate to say this, but the end actually lends itself well to a sequel!!! Yes, I said it...Rubber 2: Robert Bounces Back!

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Ladies, Gentlemen, the film you are about to see today is a homage to the no reason--that most powerful element of style.~Lieutenant Chad
• Do ya' think the tire's gonna get laid?~Black Woman
• In the excellent Chainsaw Massacre by Toby Hooper, why don't we ever see the characters go to the bathroom or wash their hands like people do in real life? Absolutely no reason.~Lieutenant Chad
• Here's your double toppings.~Zach
• Hey, wait. It's not the end. He's been reincarnated as a tricycle!~Man in Wheelchair

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
⁴/₁₀

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