Have you ever had one of those times when you wanted something so bad, that you actually physically ached from the longing for it? Or when you knew you had to wait for something, and that wait became unbearable to the point of nearly mentally breaking? These are the things I went through in my anticipation of the arrival of Rubber, a film that I heard about a while back, and because of the plain absurdity of the premise, was immediately drawn to it. I have stated previously that maybe Hollywood has run out of fresh ideas, that everything seems to be a re-make, re-hash, or re-boot of something previous (I recently learned that the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland was the 11th filmed version), and then something like Rubber happens.
Spoiler Alert. It's OK, I won't be reviewing this film. Ever.
Rubber is a film written and directed by Quentin Dupieux, who also does triple duty on this film with the musical score, as his alter ego, Mr. Oizo, who happens to be quite a popular musician in his native France. As evidenced by the above trailer, it is about a discarded, old rubber car tire that inexplicably comes to life in the desert. Well, that's the main story, anyhow, but more on that later. The film opens with a great monologue about films that I can't go into detail about here, as it basically sets up the whole film as well as setting the underlying tone, and I try to be as "spoiler-free" on here as possible.
M. Night is not so sure about this one.
The other part of the film involves this group of spectators that has gathered to watch the tire's (his name is Robert, by the way), progress and murderous rampage, which really is the most confusing part of the film. They gather beforehand and watch Robert come to life, then follow his trek, until one of the strangest twists I've seen in any movie happens and throws the rest of the film into the Realm Of Utter Chaos & W.T.F. In fact, I could have done without the spectators; I know WHY they are there, and what they represent, but they just felt unnecessary at times. I really just wanted to see this tire wreaking major havoc, and they kept interrupting it with these asides from the spectators. The bright spot of this downside is veteran character actor Wings Hauser, as the one spectator who seems to be a bit ahead of the rest.
Not during my movies, dammit.
So now, the conundrum: I really like the parts of the film that feature Robert and his wacky antics, that was a hell of an imagination that came up with that, but feel as though everything else was unnecessary and takes away from the pace of the film. Maybe there is some hidden meaning that Dupieux wants to impart on us as film-goers, and he's using the spectators as a metaphor, but I just didn't need that. I went into this movie not wanting to think too much, and he almost made me do just that. I like the movie overall, because the great parts far outweigh the slow ones, so I recommend it for a rental or a purchase on the discount or used rack, because it is weird enough to gain cult status, despite its short-comings, and bears repeated viewings, if only to show it to other people and get their reactions from it.
No comments:
Post a Comment