Winnebago Man

Ben Steinbauer's portrait of Jack Rebney and the viral video known as, among other titles, "Winnebago Man" and "The Angriest Man in the World," belongs to a relatively recent movement in documentary filmmaking that is more about exploring personalities and telling stories than looking at issues or chronicling events. Rebney is the "star" of a montage of invective-laced outtakes from a Winnebago sales video (edited together by his vindictive crew, who grew tired of his abuse) that became an underground sensation when it was passed around on VHS tapes in the 1990s and then a cultural phenomenon when it was posted to YouTube. Steinbauer's film begins as a documentary cliché ("Who was this guy and where did he come from? I decided to find out.") but finds its footing once the director tracks down Rebney—now a virtual hermit living in an isolated cabin in Northern California—and finds a fascinating figure in this self-proclaimed “crotchety old man." Steinbauer's own confused motivations for making the film are left unexplored, but the triumph of the unexpectedly warm and sweet Winnebago Man is that by the end, even the filmmaker’s motivations seem beside the point. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include “The Lost Winnebago Sales Video!” never-before-seen footage (25 min.), a featurette on the film's NYC premiere with filmmaker Michael Moore, actor Jeff Garlin, and the film's subject Jack Rebney (17 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning doc.] (S. Axmaker)