Winnebago Man (2010)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Randy T

  
  Who knew that under all those layers of cynicism and misanthropy that Jack Rebney would turn out to be the most likable old bastard on the planet?

• Spencer S

  
  This is a comprehensive documentary that varies its message in many ways, but comes out the other side as an expanded student film venture and radically changes a viewer's perspective on its subject. The film itself is broadly about Jack Rebney, who unfortunately starred in ten… More
  This is a comprehensive documentary that varies its message in many ways, but comes out the other side as an expanded student film venture and radically changes a viewer's perspective on its subject. The film itself is broadly about Jack Rebney, who unfortunately starred in ten minutes of outtakes from a Winnebago industrial film, which spread around the internet as of 2005. It was a traumatic and humiliating experience, a fact that filmmaker Ben Steinbauer addresses by also talking about other Youtube sensations such as the Star Wars kid, who ended up in a mental institution. Instead of being solely about how we as the public view these people's embarrassment in lieu of our own laughter, we look at Jack Rebney and the interesting way he himself deals with the sensation and how his life has been effected. The filmmaker is passionate about his subject, interested in the plight of Jack and where these no name celebrities end up, or where they are in their lives. Just because it isn't encompassing of the entire Youtube community does not diminish its subject's journey through life, the way he is perceived by different audiences, and the view of personal safety and one's own self image when the spotlight is shone without permission. Jack ends up isolating himself in the cavernous California mountains, and becomes quite defensive once Ben wanders around to find him, unraveling the hatred, the workings of Jack's powerful mind. Jack turns out to be a man of intellect, unchallenged and unchecked. He is only slightly more controlled than his video shows, but is a man of thought and wonder above all else. Overall, I found this documentary engaging simply because Jack was so insightful and surprising. This film gave me an entirely new perspective on the infamous video in question, and now makes me think before I laugh at the misfortune of others. Truly, a thinker.

• Steve K

  
  Not quite what you'd expect. Sort of funny, but also sort of sad.

• Jeff "

  
  Winnebago Man is a documentary about Jack Rebney, one of Internet's biggest superstars. Rebney is known more as the Winnebago Man. During the late 8o's he was doing a shoot for Winnebago, and the outtakes of the commercials ended up being a cult phenomenon. Jack… More
  Winnebago Man is a documentary about Jack Rebney, one of Internet's biggest superstars. Rebney is known more as the Winnebago Man. During the late 8o's he was doing a shoot for Winnebago, and the outtakes of the commercials ended up being a cult phenomenon. Jack Rebney's delivery of vulgarities and obscenities in the outtakes struck a cord with many people, and people started making copies of the outtakes to friends. It wasn't until the arrival of YouTube that his popularity soared even more. Jack Rebney himself has been surprised at his unwanted attention due to the outtakes. He doesn't see why the video sparked so much popularity. Rebney doesn't seem ashamed with the video, and throughout the film Rebney proves that he's not the angriest man, and he's very humble at times. But also it's very clear that he's got strong political opinions, and he's at time irritated with the filmmakers. But in the end, he's very humbled at how his outtake video ended up cheering up alot of people. The famous outtakes themselves are hilarious and it's no wonder why it's become the most popular viral video ever. If your a fan of the viral video or love documentaries, then I suggest you give this film a viewing. The film uncovers the man behind the video and it answers a lot of questions on the outtakes.

• Matthew Y

  
  Winnebago Man is a bummer of a disappointment about the angry profanity stricken man behind the legendary Winnebago commercial outtakes. Winnebago Man is better simply told to a friend who then goes on YouTube and watches the videos. A real let-down of a documentary with little to… More
  Winnebago Man is a bummer of a disappointment about the angry profanity stricken man behind the legendary Winnebago commercial outtakes. Winnebago Man is better simply told to a friend who then goes on YouTube and watches the videos. A real let-down of a documentary with little to offer behind the outtakes themselves. The man in the commercials is found by the filmmaker as a mild recluse with failing health, a still prominent fiery temper and a serious anti-Chaney agenda. Not exactly the Holy-Grail of outtakes the film makes it out to be. Just watch the damn videos, forget the film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDQQfBrSUs0

• Alec B

  
  Its difficult to say if director Ben Steinbauer is really giving Jack Rebney his fair say or if he's (even if its unintentional) just exploiting him in the same way the infamous outtakes have. Regardless, I cannot deny the fact that Rebney is a fascinating individual .

• George N

  
  A frequently entertaining and thought-provoking documentary with a great central character. Jack Rebney, a.k.a. the Winnebago Man or The Angriest Man In The World is just as crotchety and pissed in the twilight of his life as he is in the video sensation that began with VHS outtakes… More
  A frequently entertaining and thought-provoking documentary with a great central character. Jack Rebney, a.k.a. the Winnebago Man or The Angriest Man In The World is just as crotchety and pissed in the twilight of his life as he is in the video sensation that began with VHS outtakes of a Winnebago sales video in the late eighties and became a YouTube sensation decades later. However hysterically outspoken Rebney can be, the blame for this film falling short of perfection falls on Steinbauer, who does not let it breathe for a second. He seems too content in presenting a basic run-up to Rebney's appearance at the Found Footage Film Festival in San Francisco. The first thirty minutes is the most informative and intriguing section of the film, but with less than an hour left after that, Rebney makes us laugh, cry, and cheer, which is great, but if the film were a bit longer, we could have had a more provocative film and I think a better one. Not to say that it's bad. Far from it. It just needed a little more.

• Grifty G

  
  not necessarily hard hitting documentary fodder, but I ultimately enjoyed getting to know Jack Rebney, and actually started to like him.

• Jason R

  
  Funny, Strange, and thought-provoking! You would never expect to be so engaged in a movie about the life of a man who gained fame from a video where he cusses and carries on like a maniac. A lot of fun to watch, and surprisingly one of the better documentaries to come out in a long… More
  Funny, Strange, and thought-provoking! You would never expect to be so engaged in a movie about the life of a man who gained fame from a video where he cusses and carries on like a maniac. A lot of fun to watch, and surprisingly one of the better documentaries to come out in a long while.

• matt s

  
  A very sad, yet often-funny story of a former Winnebago salesman. There are some great, honest moments of a journalist trying to get the truth out of this actor. As much as this guy wants to wax nostalgic about the olden days, Jack Rebney will be remembered as an angry commercial… More
  A very sad, yet often-funny story of a former Winnebago salesman. There are some great, honest moments of a journalist trying to get the truth out of this actor. As much as this guy wants to wax nostalgic about the olden days, Jack Rebney will be remembered as an angry commercial actor. He doesn't want to be, and once he finds out that his audience embraces him, he kind of changes. Up until that point, it's frustrating because he hasn't become a calm man, he's become quite a sad hermit, the worst definition of Thoreau's Walden. Whoa, where'd that come from?

• Wu C

  
  No one delivers obscenities quite as colorfully as mr.rebney. A cult hero finally sought out and studied. A must see for documentary lovers.

• Bill C

  
  This movie is a more of a collage of a film that pivots on the point of most people's life where they finally realize they are not going to ever fulfill there dreams they had when they were in there 20's. I love movies and books based on real life have a unmistakable quality… More
  This movie is a more of a collage of a film that pivots on the point of most people's life where they finally realize they are not going to ever fulfill there dreams they had when they were in there 20's. I love movies and books based on real life have a unmistakable quality that all movies based on constructs just lack. The narrative questions why is Jack Rubney (and all the other fails on Youtube) are funny. The narrative of Rubney eventually explains that his dream was to be announcer like Walter Conkite and he did work for CBS which did not work-out, which brings him to doing ads for Winnebago. The point where his life went from a vocation to a job. Like most people who live long enough it was a job that if the twenty year-old version of himself would kick his ass. On top of it his camera man and intern are just peachy with their future and cannot see the down turn in the over serious Rubney do they just taunt him. The movie is really built more about Ben Steinbauer's narrative of trying to gel all the footage into a decent movie that says something. The final 15-20 minutes he actually succeed in pulling it together. The negative gaps in the plot are as interesting as the plot ie why won't Rubney talk about his past. If your young and at the point where your career looks like stepping stones to your dream, you will not get or enjoy this movie. The rest of us will just enjoy the laughing with commiseration.

• Sam C

  
  Solid and effective depiction. There was a lot of potential hinted at here though. Just as the film begins to tackle a much larger cultural issue it does a 180 and becomes decidedly limited in scope. This may have been necessary to keep the film as personal as possible and sustain its… More
  Solid and effective depiction. There was a lot of potential hinted at here though. Just as the film begins to tackle a much larger cultural issue it does a 180 and becomes decidedly limited in scope. This may have been necessary to keep the film as personal as possible and sustain its focus on Rebney, but it makes these more profound musings irrelevant to the documentary as a whole. In addition, there are still a few things we don't really grasp about Rebney by the end, but really that only makes him more intriguing.

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