Rubber (2010)

Tagline: Are you TIRED of the expected?

Curiosity: A rubber tire with psychokinetic powers blows up people’s heads.

Plot: A rubber tire with psychokinetic powers blows up people’s heads… sort of.

Thoughts: One of the problems I’ve encountered with contemporary horror movies is that they’re too self-aware. They use humor to make up for, say, poor budgets or a hooky story. Humor can be a good defense mechanism on the schoolyard, but it sucks the joy out of filmmaking. Rubber, unfortunately, suffers from trying too hard to be meta/ironic.

I’m not against horror comedies. I love the Evil Dead trilogy as much as the next dork. The Monster Squad and Shaun of the Dead are two of my favorite movies of all time. But if you’re going to do a commentary on horror films, you better have something to say. Monster Squad examined finer, sillier points of monster movies (“WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS!”). Shaun of the Dead goofed on George A. Romero’s zombie rules while still following them. Rubber tries to poke fun at the idea of schlocky horror movies with stupid monsters, in this case with a tire.

For the first 25 minutes or so, Rubber feels like an update of every terrible ’50s monster movie. It even has one of a disclaimer for the opening scene. But the film quickly disappears up its own meta-asshole. Writer/director Quentin Dupieux uses a chorus to comment on the movie’s action, but they overwhelm the movie. The story becomes more about shutting up the chorus than it is about a murderous tire. It’s a novel idea at first, as the chorus pokes fun at the movie’s ludicrous elements. But it becomes more about telling than it is showing. Watching Rubber is like attending a screening for a cult horror movie and just watching the audience instead. And that’s no fun at all.

Reflection: Oh shit, it’s Fat Neil from Community!