Winnebago Man

The subject of this documentary, Jack Rebney, is so far over the filmmakers head, it hurts. What could have become a compelling story about the stunning fact that an intellectual, free thinking journalist in this day and age comes to fame by everything he hates, an interet meme, ended up trying to be a mere "home story". Because Rebney is so amazing it does get quite emotional in the end though, mind.

A very enjoyable documentary, that strikes a nice balance between comedy and human drama. Rebney was a viral sensation before the internet was even established, & I was only vaguely aware of his video. While Steinbauer questions whether he's making a mountain of a mole-hill, Rebney could be any number of YouTube "celebrities". We come to know him well enough that watching him finally make peace with his unwanted fame is very emotionally rewarding. Makes a fine double-bill with Best Worst Movie.

Steinbauer tracks down, with great difficulty, one Jack Rebney, the YouTube icon branded "The Angriest Man in the World" for his profanity-filled outtakes from a Winnebago promo film in 1989, re-run here in very poor video. After almost twenty years, the man hasn't mellowed: "I'm very old, I'm very crotchety, I'm pissed off" -- particularly pissed off at Dick Cheney. Quite a character, but a marginal character of whom the filmmaker tries too hard to make too much.

Apparently the only way it's appropriate to inject yourself into a documentary is if your last name is Herzog. Those complaining that Ben forced Jack to do this or didn't allow him to do that are missing the point. This was never intended to be doc just about Jack. I mean in the end what more do we really want to know about him? Why would I give a shit about his political opinions? To exploit him further? I'd rather see that he is a hilarious and relatable human being and Ben did just that.

Guy tracks down bloke who's sworn in a few outtakes, bloke turns out to be normal old codger with bit of a sharp tongue. What Steinbauer was hoping to discover here God only knows, but it certainly isn't interesting or entertaining enough to make a full documentary on. Most amusing is how the maker ends up coming across as by far the biggest plank in the picture, his perma-grin and incessant questions irritating what seems to be a nice enough old timer who just wants to keep himself to himself.