Product Details

• Actors: Stephen Spinella, Jack Plotnick, CeCelia Antoinette
• Directors: Quentin Dupieux
• Format: Blu-ray, Closed-captioned, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: June 7, 2011
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004TFTE7W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,329 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Rubber [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The titular star of this delightfully perverse and ecstatically witty exercise in comic invention is old and worn out, but not so much that it can't rouse itself from a castoff slumber to roll across the desert and wreak havoc on the inanimate objects, animals, and human beings that cross its path. That includes the audience, both the one viewing at home and the Greek chorus-like group that's gathered on the film's horizon to watch the story unfold through binoculars. There's no explanation why this haphazard band of observers has been chosen to follow the beat-up rubber tire's path of destruction as it anthropomorphizes into a living, breathing, shuddering entity of malice. They engage in an ongoing commentary and string of non sequiturs while the tire goes about exacting telekinetic revenge on the humans who may or may not have done it wrong (until they meet their own untimely end, that is). Writer-director Quentin Dupieux also neglects to explain why some of the actual characters maintain such a coolly self-reflexive spin on the proceedings, especially the small-town sheriff who opens the movie by addressing the camera directly. His deadpan soliloquy is a series of philosophical remarks about the seemingly random reasons why things happened in other movies, ranging from Love Story to E.T. to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And so it goes, as seen mostly from a ground-level, tire's-eye view in wacky sequences that slip back and forth between slasher-flick gore and existential conundrums. There's no denying the conceptual genius in this saga of an ordinary tire traveling through the dust of a Mojave Desert backwater killing randomly in anticipation of a greater glory to come. Is it a movie within a movie? Is it one of the most entertaining indie-comedy-horror-micro-budget experiences ever? Is it a movie at all? Dupieux offers no help with these questions, only a connected succession of brilliantly bizarre visuals that seem to suggest that the harder you think about it all the more likely it is your head will explode--a fate only too familiar to the beings that have close encounters with the weathered radial. The only sure thing is that Rubber teems with inspiration and free-associative magnificence in its quest for a truth that will probably never reveal itself to a non-rubberized consciousness. --Ted Fry

Product Description

Rubber is the story of Robert, an inanimate tire that has been abandoned in the desert and then suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes. At first content to prey on discarded objects and small desert creatures, his attention soon turns to humans, especially a beautiful and mysterious woman who crosses his path. Leaving a swath of destruction behind, Robert becomes a chaotic force and truly a movie villain for the ages.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly absurd. June 19, 2011

By Kimba W. Lion VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

This is a five-star movie all the way, but it will get a lot of bad reviews from people looking for a horror movie, which it is not. It is a movie about movies and about audiences, from an absurdist perspective.

With a premise about as ridiculous as anything SyFy has served up (you know, the people who gave us Dinopossum vs. Crocopillar... or something like that), I expected this thing to peg the old Cheese-o-Meter. C'mon... A tire comes to life and starts killing everyone in sight? Instead, what we have here is a very funny, very literate, and very absurd little film with some great performances.

I fear that explaining what goes on will ruin the pleasure of discovery for those who would appreciate this movie. So I won't.

I'll just say that if you're looking for a horror movie, or a cheesy horror movie, this is not the film you're looking for--go about your business elsewhere. But if the word "absurd" doesn't scare you off, give this movie a try.

39 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A genius use of absurdity. As ridiculous as it is amazing. May 14, 2011

By C. Sawin VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Hollywood is full of adaptations, sequels, prequels, remakes, re-imaginings, reboots, and spin-offs. The bottom line is that most movies hitting the big screen are familiar territory. When something original does come along, it usually "borrows" elements from films that influenced it or pays homage to said influential films that came before it. Truth be told, at this stage in the game, technically everything has already been done. Everything has already been written about or filmed or drawn or created digitally. All that's really left out there is the really bizarre topics. The stuff that you either think up randomly one slow Thursday evening or is obviously the result of one of the heaviest acid trips in history. I like to think that Rubber falls somewhere in the middle...of all three categories.

Rubber pretty much had me at Lieutenant Chad's (Stephen Spinella) opening monologue. Hell, he gets out of the trunk of a car just to illustrate the point of "no reason." What makes this scene special is that it kind of breaks the fourth wall while also introducing the secondary storyline of the film. Lieutenant Chad explains what we are about to see to the camera and then it's revealed that there is a crowd of people there who are also about to watch what transpires on screen. Mind you, they're watching with binoculars and their fates are kind of questionable given the film's primary storyline, but it was one of the more unique ways to start off a film.

Rubber is Robert's story. Who is Robert, you may ask? Robert's a tire; a car tire, to be precise. He wakes up one day to find out he likes to roll over anything that gets in his way, but once something more solid crosses his path like a beer bottle is when things get even crazier.... Robert discovers that he has telepathic powers and he uses this gift to make things explode. It starts with a beer bottle and shifts to animals. As Robert lives life to the fullest just rolling around the desert and blowing up whatever his little nonexistent heart desires, he eventually stumbles onto a road into town where he becomes fixated with a woman. Not only that, but we get to see how his special powers work on humans...

It's difficult to fully describe a film like Rubber. Its genius use of absurdity is practically overwhelming. The acting is a bit over the top at times, but really solid overall and fits the overall tone of the film like a glove. Stephen Spinella practically steals the show, but Jack Plotnick definitely has his moments. Okay, you got me. It's mostly the turkey scene and his heart to heart with the man in the wheelchair (Wings Hauser) that made Plotnick relevant. Rubber offers a little bit of everything though; comedy, drama, horror. There are a few seriously memorable one-liners buried in the film ("No, come on. It's not real life. Look at you, you have a stuffed toy alligator under your arm.") and it's kind of incredible how you almost come to understand the thought process of a car tire by the time the film ends.

Rubber certainly isn't going to be a film for everyone, but you pretty much know what you're getting into with the trailer. The people who hate it probably have justifiable reasons; it's ridiculous, it's unbelievable, it's impossible; it's the dumbest thing ever. It's hard to argue with any of that, but I loved it for all of those reasons. Some people may see ridiculousness, but I saw originality, creativity, and unpredictability. Isn't that better than most of the cliché tripe that somehow makes all this money at the box office?

Rubber is brainless fun covered by a veil of uncertainty. If you can accept the outlandish premise, then it's incredibly entertaining. Rubber has that same kind of vibe that Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans does; it's bizarre and eccentric on the surface, but kind of brilliant at its core. It'd probably be fair to call Rubber cheese, as well. But dammit if it's not some of the richest cheese I've ever tasted. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars ROFL October 15, 2011

By dangerboybb

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

This movie had me laughing at the sheer absuridity of a tire that's alive, and blowing things up. LOL I figure this movie is at least a one time see. Just go into it with stupid fun in mind.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Visually interesting but ultimately dumb. July 5, 2011

By Adam B. Krenn

Format:Blu-ray

I wanted to like this film, I really did. I was enamored with the trailer and couldn't wait to give this one a view. Where it ultimately failed for me is the, in my opinion, ham-fisted delivery of The Plot, at the beginning of the film, by Lieutenant Chad. It wasn't enough for the viewer (i.e. me) to interpret this as art, absurdity and an exercise in "fourth-wall" mechanics. I had to be told this at the very beginning,while also being simultaneously told it is this very technique in story telling which makes a great film and style. Initially I assumed the speech to the viewer/spectator was something a producer insisted to help sell the film so it wouldn't be too abstract, but since the spectators were actually intrinsic to the plot (such that it is), I now assume this was not the case. This pretentiousness quiet simply put the whole film off kilter for me and I couldn't help thinking that the director really believed he was making a masterpiece of cinematic art. Something in which only time will tell. I freely admit, I could not get over this view.

There is some good here, however. This film is actually beautifully shot and visually interesting despite its lackluster scenery. Quentin Dupieux has an eye for some simple and amazing visuals and this reason alone is why I lasted until the end.

This film will likely be loved by some and reviled by others, it is that kind of film. For me it was meh. Worth a viewing if you're curious or as an example of simple and quality cinematography.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Does not live up to the trailer April 19, 2011

By Matt Polapink

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

This movie definitely failed to live up to the trailer which piqued my curiosity. Thought it would be a cross between Reno 911 and Tremors. Honestly not enough humor, suspense, or story to keep this movie interesting. The side plot of the audience watching the filming also fell flat and was very distracting. Much rather would have seen a campy horror movie than this.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A French director's attempt to wake us up with black humor and lies? August 11, 2012

By Hilary Jacobson

Format:DVD

The film's central plot is this: the on-screen audience is starved and then brutally murdered (poisoned with a turkey) after being distracted by an absurdest monster flick that plays out before them like a B movie on the nearby desert. This carefully planned slaughter stands in contrast to the chaotic rampage of Robert the Tire.

Does this slaying of average Americans happen for "no reason" as the opening monologue would have us believe? Or is the French writer/director pointing out that some Americans will gladly allow themselves to be poisoned (by trashy GMO food, for instance) as long as they are happily distracted by some kind of entertainment, no matter how bizarre, absurd or meaningless?

Having lived in Europe during the 90s, when GMO products were developed, and having seen how Europe refused, repeatedly, to import them, until forced to do so by the WTO--and still they found ways to get around the injunction, and only recently, France managed to ban yet another GM food--I remember the anger that Europeans of all countries felt toward average Americans--BECAUSE WE WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION. Just as the on-screen audience in this film isn't paying attention to the true actions and motives of their officials, we allowed our industries to develop bizarre food technology and we then allowed our government to force it upon the world without adequate studies of health and environmental consequences....

So although everyone seems to think that this is a happy-go-lucky farcical and witty film based upon the "principle" of "no reason", I believe that hidden in this film is the wide-spread European criticism of the average American, too engrossed in what is seen on the screen (or the desert), and too naively accepting of what they are told (in this case, that they should look for "no reason"), to bother to look for reasons, and to be aware of what their own industries and government are doing to them and to others.

The writer/director of the great documentary "The World According to Monsanto" is also French ;-).

I have given this film 5 stars because it is at its core a serious film, done with glorious black humor. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. If I had not had quirky sons with a sophisticated taste in film, I would never have understood or liked it.

But when you watch the beginning of the film, think of this: perhaps you are not meant to believe what the speaker says, just because he is wearing a badge. Perhaps you are meant to understand that he is offering a scam, right from the get-go, and with very dark motives.

Perhaps the director is pointing out that many of our officials (in all the alphabet organizations) take advantage of our tendency to believe whatever they say.

So, rather than taking the opening monologue at face value, consider whether the director might actually be pointing out questions that should be earnestly asked and their answers remembered--for loving and cherishing one another is what sustains us, and a keen understanding of political corruption is essential for the survival of freedom. Read more ›