Title: Rubber
Actors/Director/Anything Worth Mentioning Right Away: No one you’d recognize.
Introduction: I have a list- a small list- of movies that I really want to see because I hear such good things about them and this was on the top of that list. I don’t remember exactly how I first heard about this movie, but my best guess is because it is made by Magnet Releasing, the people will also bring joy to my life via Hobo With A Shotgun. I waited seemingly forever for this movie to come out on DVD, as it was available in a streaming-like way on Amazon only and when it finally did, Netflix sent it to me and lo and behold I am now that much happier for having seen it.
Location: In a desert for the most part, but yeah, they had some sort of budget for the location since they also use a hotel and a makeshift house.
Plot: This movie begins by it being explained to us- the audience- that a lot of things in movies happen for no reason. This movie pays homage to the no reasons that occur in not only movies, but also in life. A group of spectators is watching this movie through binoculars and provide a small amount of dialogue because, well, the main character is a tire who doesn’t talk. The tire, who has a life of his own, rolls over things and when he finds he can’t roll over a glass bottle and smash it to pieces he begins violently shaking and then explodes it with his mind. He later explodes other things in this manner, including but not limited to people. The thing you have to realize about this movie is that it is always questioning itself, breaking that fourth wall, and just when you think this movie might have some sort of meaning or plot something occurs that leaves you to stand corrected. I definitely feel like this is one of the most genuine plots I have ever seen in a movie before. From start to finish, you never really know where it’s going to take you. There are cool scenes where stuff explodes, but there is also a lot of humor. The plot is one which I cannot explain without walking you through it step by step, but that’s probably why you just need to see the movie.
Acting: For a bunch of actors that I don’t really know, they all give pretty decent performances, especially the tire.
Production: This movie looks like it could have been in theaters and I believe it did have a few select showings before being released on DVD. However, yeah, it still has the movie theater quality to it.
Sex/Nudity: There actually is a scene where the lady showers and the tire watches, so you get a butt shot. Also, the tire showers as well, but he never really wears clothes to begin with, so maybe this entire movie is obscene because he’s naked.
Special Effects: There are a few explosions which come out looking about realistic as they can without actually being real. The one thing I really did enjoy maybe even the most about this movie was the tire just rolling along. At first, he seems like a baby taking his first steps, as he rolls a little ways then falls over, then gets back up and does it again. He just seems like he’s having so much fun rolling around, it makes me happy. Trying to figure out how they did those effects (I’m guessing shooting it backwards, but I’m not certain) is what makes this movie so great. I mean, if you took this movie and put a man in the lead role (or a woman) then you’d have a lot less special effects. But when you think about all it took even just for the chase scene to make this tire roll along and seem life-like, I mean… that’s a lot of energy and efforts I really appreciate.
Overall Verdict: Two things that stand out to me about this movie that I feel need to be said are as follows. First off, this movie has a great score. The person (or people) behind the music really need to be given some kind of an award for the part the soundtrack played to this film. It reminds me how much different Bugs Bunny cartoons would be without any music. Secondly, it needs to be said that for whatever reason, this movie made me feel very hungry. I don’t know why, and it started even before people in the movie felt hungry, but this movie really made me want to eat. Take that for what it’s worth. Overall, though, this movie is one that needs to be viewed with an open mind. Correction: It needs to be viewed with not only an open mind, but also with an intelligent mind. If you want a movie that has a concise a to b plot, then there are literally tons of movies in Hollywood that you can watch and have just that. To me, all of those movies have become so formulaic, though, that this movie is a breath of fresh air. I will undoubtedly watch this movie as often as possible and share it with everyone I know because I will eventually own the DVD. I think anyone who sees this movie and truly gets it will like it. If you don’t like it, then you probably just don’t get it. You probably also really like Taken or some other generic Hollywood movie, so, you know, good luck with all of that. But most important of all, regardless of what- if anything- you take out of this review, I want you to remember just this one thing. It’s really a good life motto, actually, and one I’m going to live by from here on out, so you should take this with you forward from here on out, if nothing else. Just remember: None of this would have mattered if you’d just eaten the turkey.
