RUBBER (director: Quentin Dupieux; cinematographer: Quentin Dupieux; editor: Quentin Dupieux; music: Gaspard Augé/ Mr. Oizo; cast: Stephen Spinella (Lieutenant Chad), Jack Plotnick (Accountant), Wings Hauser (Man in Wheelchair), Roxane Mesquida (Sheila), Ethan Cohn (Film Buff Ethan), Charley Koontz (Film Buff Charley), David Bowe (Mr. Hugues),Remi Thorne (Zac).; Runtime: 85; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Quentin Dupieux; Magnolia Releasing; 2010)

“It offers a lame one-joke premise.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

An absurd blend of horror and comedy from musician/ad man Gallic filmmaker Quentin Dupieux(“Reality”/”Wrong”/”Steak”). It offers a lame one-joke premise about a self-propelled homicidal tire with telekinetic powers named Robbie. The absurdist comedy, made on a shoestring budget, is set in the California desert.

While in the California desert, an accountant (Jack Plotnick) brings together some people to watch with binoculars a movie unfold. They observe an old tire come to life and move on its own across the desert. It crushes things in its way and through the use of its telekinetic powers it chooses what to explode. Robbie, the name of the tire, kills a lot of people while falling for a sexy mysterious French tourist (Roxanne Mesquida). Even though rebuffed by her., the obsessed tire follows her to a desert motel. At the motel he goes into a rage and kills the maid. Lt. Chad (Stephen Spinella) investigates the murder. Meanwhile the accountant feeds the movie spectators poisoned turkey. But one of them, in a wheel-chair (Wings Hauser), doesn’t take the poison, as he’s interested in keeping alive to see how the movie turns out. Now isn’t he the bright one!

Its gonzo deadpan humor failed to click with me. I just found it a dumb parody.

REVIEWED ON 1/10/2016 GRADE: C+