Rubber

Rubber tire goes on a killer spree using its telekinetic powers to make peoples head explode.

....


Sounds awesome. The only problem is things aren't that simple. Instead Rubber is an art-house movie with a b-movie gimmick. The movie it reminds me the most of is Alex Cox's Repo Man. Both are set in rural, barren landscape. Both are full of interesting ideas that make little sense but are so odd you can kinda go along with them. The only problem is Repo Man is a helluva lot more likable than Rubber is. Rubber is OK and many of its bizarre ideas can be taken as silly fun but there is something very smug about the whole thing. Why cant a movie just be about a killer tire? Why do I have to have Stephen Spinella (whom I do really like in this) explaining how the movie is about nothing. I get that, but it feels like the filmmakers are constantly saying 'Hey hey! Look how smart and irreverent we are!'.

I don't want to make out that Rubber is bad. Its not. I can actually be a lot of fun and the effects are really cool and some of it is really funny but there is a smart-arsey about it that makes it not as much of a hoot as it should be.