What could be scarier than a tire with a murderous blood lust? Nothing. At least that’s what director Quentin Dupieux thought back in 2010 when he brought us Rubber, which is, in fact, a story about a psychopathic tire with telekinetic abilities. Yes, the concept is eye rolling, but the finished product is one of the most original, irreverent, and funny movies I’ve ever seen. I equate Dupieux’s directorial style and vision to an exact opposite of David Fincher’s. Instead of dark and gritty, everything is overexposed, washed out, and surreal. Wrong is his follow-up to Rubber. Wrong brings us along the crazy journey of one man as he tries to find out what happened to his dog that suddenly disappears.
What worked:
Dupieux again brings his unique vision to the world of Wrong which gives it a dream like feeling. The movie’s central theme is that of denial and every character extrudes that from obvious things like flat-out denying running to subtle things like refusing to believe that they had been fired from their job. The reality that Dupieux crafts is like a bizarro purgatory that everyone is stuck in and to watch them try to navigate life through it with this sense of bewilderment and understanding is a treat. For example, the main character Dolph (Jack Plotnick) works(ed) at a place where it constantly rains indoors, yet it doesn’t seem to bother anyone even though it is never explained why and doesn’t serve a purpose other than to be wrong. The absurdity of the situations often yield moments that are extremely funny.
What didn’t work:
Even though this movie is loaded with quirky original ideas none of them really amount to anything or have any substance to it. It felt like watching a visual representation of the Winchester House with doors that don’t open and staircases that lead to nowhere. Rubber’s quirkiness was enjoyable because of its self-awareness. Wrong is just a bunch of randomness lazily pieced together around a flimsy story about the main characters dog being kidnapped. Not much happens in terms of story which hurts pacing so much to the point that the ninety minute run time felt like over two hours. It simply is just too complicated to understand the ideas that are presented.
Final thoughts:
Even though the movie suffers from pacing issues and underdeveloped concepts every scene in this movie is something to behold and once the main story line is resolved it was a very satisfying moment. I know Dupieux is full of crazy and wonderful ideas and even though Wrong was, well, wrong I’m still excited to see what he has in store for his next projects.
4 out of 11
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About the movie
Synopsis: Dolph Springer wakes up one morning to realize he has lost the love of his life, his dog, Paul. During his quest to get Paul (and his life) back, Dolph radically changes the lives of others — risking his sanity all the while.
Stars: Jack Plotnick, William Fichtner
Director: Quentin Dupieux
Rated: R
Run time: 94 min
Watcher of movies. Writer of books. I love doing both and sometimes I even write about movies. Follow me on Twitter so you can keep track of my boring and uninteresting life @redsixx.
