Movie Details
| Title: | Winnebago Man | |
| Director: | Ben Steinbauer | |
| Year: | 2009 | |
| Genre: | Documentary | |
| Times Seen: | 1 | |
| Last Seen: | 03.14.09 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 03.14.09 | Alamo South Lamar | This Screening is part of event: SXSW 2009 Oh man, this was the film I've been most excited about at SXSW. The lines for this movie were huge. I ended up sitting next to a guy who is covering the festival freelance for High Times and Magnet. Another example of why you should always talk to the people you're sitting or standing next to at SXSW. But enough preshow, let's get right to it... SXSW Synopsis: Jack Rebney is the most famous man you've never heard of -- after cursing his way through a Winnebago sales video, Rebney's outrageously funny outtakes became an underground sensation and made him an internet superstar. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer journeys to the top of a mountain to find the recluse who unwittingly became the "Winnebago Man." Notes: This movie delivered in a big way. I really don't want to give much away, because I'm sure it will get some sort of distribution, but this film has a lot of interesting stuff to say about the implications of our society's fascination with humiliation-based viral videos and the impact those videos have on the people featured in the videos. Plus the director could not have scripted a better sequence of events than what happens in this movie. I'm really struggling to not give anything away, and I won't, but Ben Steinbauer just got amazingly incredibly lucky with the way this story played out. All I'll say is that seeing this movie profoundly changed the way I view the original Winnebago Man outtakes, and has the potential to change the way I watch other schadenfreude-based videos. And then!... Jack Rebney made an appearance... his second ever in the past 20 years. He gave a really great speech (which I recorded and will post on reeldistraction.com in the next day or so), then hung around and met his fans (who he apparently is still struggling to come to terms with). And although I was able to control my fanboy urge last night and not ask Patton Oswalt for a picture, I couldn't do it here. So I now have a picture of me and the Winnebago Man. Awesome. Last thing I'll say in case Rebney ever reads this (which is not bloodly likely), but you've succeeded in changing your legacy sir. Well done. |