Movie Review: Winnebago Man (2009)

Winnebago Man (2009) ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★

Starring: Jack Rebney, Ben Steinbauer and Keith Gordon

Directed by: Ben Steinbauer

*mild spoilers*

Ben Steinbauer takes us on journey into the mountains of California in search of an internet cult icon.

In 1988, Jack Rebney was filming a marketing video for Winnebago. It was a two-week shoot in the heat of summer, and the guy just simply goes bananas (if you have never seen it, go here). While the edited video gets sent off to Winnebago to be used as a sales pitch, a 4-minute VHS outtakes reel is being passed around by crew-members; it eventually ends up in the hands of collectors and is copied an uncountable amount of times. Years later, the internet blows up and gives birth to video sites i.e. Youtube, and Jack Rebney is instantly a viral superstar.

The quest is for Ben to find out how Mr. Rebney, now twenty years older, feels about being dubbed the Winnebago Man, aka The Angriest Man in the World; or to see if he knows of his popularity at all.

Jack Rebney is a person everyone in life has most likely known at one point or another. He is the older man that pulls off being grumpy and charming simultaneously. He is a wizard with profanity, and uses body language that demonstrates his disdain. For many of us, he is the anti-hero we long to be during those times of stress and irritability.

Ben Steinbauer has created something hilarious and moving with “Winnebago Man”. His efforts in finding someone that is a legend to some are truly sincere. The deeper this documentary goes into Ben’s pursuit, the more you learn about a person that is slightly different from what you would expect. There are a few moments where I felt Ben was prying too much with things involving Rebney’s life, but I do not think he was trying to be nosy, just overly enthusiastic. This would be perfect to watch back-to-back with “Best Worst Movie”. A high recommendation to fans of comedy documentaries.