Winnebago Man is about Jack Rebney, that pissed off RV spokesguy who turned into a viral-video sensation even before the invention of YouTube. The film rated 91 per cent on the tomatometer and was listed on Roger Ebert's ten best documentaries of 2010, so how can I not respect that. But, I don't know. What came between me and a real appreciation for this movie was its director, Ben Steinbauer, who tracked down Jack Rebney and then didn't know what to do with him. I kept thinking: "Let the man speak!" Does this guy seem like the kind of guy who wants to open up about his childhood? Let him rail against Dick Cheney, for $%!@ sake!
Maybe five minutes of altercation between Ben and Jack would have told a story, but it seemed to go on and on. Until, finally, Ben steps out of the way and the movie takes off and we get to see Jack at his finest and receive the round of applause he deserves for, guess what, expressing his contempt for Dick Cheney (among other things).
So, I recommend renting (or ordering?) this documentary because you just gotta meet Jack. The confrontation between him and a Walmart manager is worth the price of admission. I just wish that someone like Steve James or Errol Morris or even Michael Moore had found him first.
Photo by Laura Muir (from YouTube)
