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RUBBER (2011)Movie Reviews
Horror comedy about a tire that suddenly springs to life and discovers it has telepathic powers, which it then uses to rain destruction down on anything and anyone in its path. Cast:Stephen Spinella, Wings Hauser, Roxane Mesquida, Thomas F. DuffyDirector:Quentin DupieuxRelease Date:April 1, 2011DVD Release:June 7, 2011From:Magnet ReleasingRating:RLength:1 hr 25 min
JUNE 7, 2011
Rubber (2011), Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Rubber (2011) played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...a film that parodies genre while taking its place in that genre’s higher echelons, which is always an achievement.... unlike anything -- anything -- you have ever seen." • And Amy Biancolli wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...has its share of jollies, at least when it isn't boring us..." More Reviews Below...
Rubber (2011) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "It took an entire car to power Stephen King's 'Christine'... The considerably lower-budgeted 'Rubber' wittily makes do with a single -- and ferociously single-minded -- car tire."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 871 words, 04/01/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...has anthropomorphic, head-scratching fun with its gory B-movie trappings, silly music cues, self-referential comedy and deliberately off-kilter acting."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 04/01/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Picture Monty Python writing an unusually odd 'Twilight Zone' episode directed by surrealist Luis Buñuel. Or just empty your mind of all sense: This is 'Rubber.' "(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 04/01/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...an exercise in horrific absurdity that is neither as scary nor as amusing as it hopes to be.... inadvertently proves the adage that brevity is the soul of wit."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 518 words, 04/08/11
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "An essay on storytelling and spectatorship... infused with the haunting aura and disillusionment of a post-'Easy Rider' road movie... some kind of miracle."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 03/30/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sets out to be the strangest movie you've ever seen... It's, well, something. Absurd, definitely. Cheeky, too. And pretty entertaining, at least at first."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 04/07/11
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a silly thing. But it doesn't stop at silly.... a tongue-in-cheek splatter flick about a sentient car tire on a killing spree, rolls straight over silly."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 04/15/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the story of a homicidal car tire on a killing spree in the desert. You read that right. Big round rubber thing, rolling through the desert, making people's heads explode."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 471 words, 05/06/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...a prankish genre deconstruction... What would happen if a castoff automobile tire came to life and possessed the psychokinetic ability to explode human heads?"(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 04/29/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a self-referential schlock-horror parody that doesn't take any piece of itself all that seriously.... has its share of jollies, at least when it isn't boring us..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 04/01/11
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Shot by Quentin Depieux with a Canon D5 digital SLR and crisply transferred to 35 mm, 'Rubber' bounces gamely along with its 'no reason' status fully intact."(See all of Jeff Shannon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 04/08/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...engaging, brisk and smart... it's got an avant-garde sensibility at its heart... It's grand, mindless fun that makes a thoughtful point."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 04/15/11
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "An essay on storytelling and spectatorship... infused with the haunting aura and disillusionment of a post-'Easy Rider' road movie... some kind of miracle."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 03/30/11
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "It's moderately fun to watch the tire... it's neither fun nor enlightening to observe the observers and the enigmatic functionary (Jack Plotnick) who manipulates them."(See all of Betsy Sherman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 04/28/11
Nick Schager, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...sounds like an inspired bit of absurdist lunacy; to endure it, on the other hand, is to experience the mind-numbing limits of a goofy one-note joke."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 03/27/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sets out to be the strangest movie you've ever seen... It's, well, something. Absurd, definitely. Cheeky, too. And pretty entertaining, at least at first."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 04/07/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It's as if we, the moviegoing audience bored with more traditional fare, willed this ticklishly bizarre film into being.... Whoa.... it sure is fun to think about."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 864 words, 04/15/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "It took an entire car to power Stephen King's 'Christine'... The considerably lower-budgeted 'Rubber' wittily makes do with a single -- and ferociously single-minded -- car tire."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 871 words, 04/01/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...has anthropomorphic, head-scratching fun with its gory B-movie trappings, silly music cues, self-referential comedy and deliberately off-kilter acting."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 04/01/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: MODERATE "...certainly isn't the same-old, same-old.... on the most basic level it has fulfilled its aesthetic goals: It will irritate many and delight a few."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 04/01/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: POOR "Neither scary, funny, nor anywhere near as clever as it seems to think it is... a one-joke premise.... There aren't really enough ideas or wit here to support a 10-minute short..."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 05/16/10
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...isn't scary enough to qualify as horror and not nearly as amusing as a black comedy should be.... grows far too thin much too quickly."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 11/15/10
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...has anthropomorphic, head-scratching fun with its gory B-movie trappings, silly music cues, self-referential comedy and deliberately off-kilter acting."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 04/01/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "It took an entire car to power Stephen King's 'Christine'... The considerably lower-budgeted 'Rubber' wittily makes do with a single -- and ferociously single-minded -- car tire."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 871 words, 04/01/11
25.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Rubber (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 25.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Rubber (2011) (23 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Rubber (2011)'s reviews cover 20.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,490 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 456 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 11 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Rubber (2011)'s reviews on average broke 11 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Rubber (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Rubber (2011) (23 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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