Winnebago Man 2010

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: I think this is a disingenuous and shallow movie about a fairly interesting guy. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Adulation -- even barbed adulation -- is irresistible. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: What started as an underground goof ended up becoming a fascinating foul-mouthed curio; though it aims for profundity, Winnebago Man seems destined to suffer the same fate. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: [A] frustrating, borderline exploitative, madly entertaining documentary. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: That Mr. Rebney is a real character comes as no surprise. What's odd, given Mr. Steinbauer's obvious intelligence, is the director's blinkered view of his subject. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: One of those thrilling instances where reality grabs a filmmaker by the lapels and drags him (and us) to unexpected places. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Winnebago Man is an intriguing look at the effects on one man's life; whether they're worth the cost is something Steinbauer leaves up to us. Read more

Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: There's a pathos lurking around the edges of Winnebago Man, and it has nothing to do with issues of fame or the power of the Web and everything to do with aging and alienation, neither of which the documentary seems able to comprehend. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This engrossing documentary widens to consider the phenomenon of viral videos and the humiliation they can bring to their sometimes unsuspecting victims. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: What this film is really about is how interconnected we all are, like it or not, on the Internet, and how alluring and alarming this can be. Read more

Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News: This strange, darkly funny documentary investigates the story of Jack Rebney, a Winnebago salesman who achieved notoriety based on outtakes of a corporate video he shot in the 1980s. Read more

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: Good fortune smiled on this film, but the feeling persists: This triumph belongs to Rebney, not Steinbauer. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: Whenever Rebney gets to be Rebney -- be it insulting, sweet or wearily perturbed -- Winnebago Man shows a full tank of irascible charm. Read more

Richard Brody, New Yorker: [Director Ben Steinbauer's] blend of exploitation and sincerity proves remarkably efficient, and helps illustrate how new media have democratized the arts. Read more

Ian Buckwalter, NPR: There is a genuine, human sympathy for his frustration and lashing out that goes along with the laughter. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Winnebago Man, which appears to be notably less staged than other documentaries of this ilk, doesn't relentlessly explore all the corners of Rebney's life -- which makes him an even more fascinating subject. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Although we find out a lot about this virtual hermit and develop an admiration for his cantankerous principles, the movie leaves some questions unanswered. Read more

Rob Nelson, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The movie becomes oddly deep and even poignant. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Winnebago Man becomes a much more interesting and troubling film when Rebney, a former journalist, demands to reclaim control of his messaging. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: When the director laments, "I feel like I've stepped into the Winnebago Man outtakes," we can only concur. Read more

Greg Quill, Toronto Star: Perhaps the most disturbing issue raised in Ben Steinbauer's fascinating and often hilarious Winnebago Man has to do with the Internet's awesome ability to reduce complex and apparently dangerous behaviour to the level of banal spectacle. Read more

Eddie Cockrell, Variety: At once scabrously funny and uncomfortably poignant... Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Was it all an act--or is this? Pay your money and find out. Read more

Rachel Saslow, Washington Post: Raises intriguing questions about our culture of online humiliation and the real-life destruction it can leave in its wake. Read more