Winnebago Man
Directed by Ben Steinbauer
Distributed by Kino International
The Internet is a funny thing, making people infamous as often as it renders them famous.
One reason for this is the distribution of viral videos — online videos that gain popularity by being shared around the web.
An example of a net celebrity is the Star Wars kid, whose flailing lightsaber swordsmanship earned him an audience of millions and a fair share of cyber bullies.
But this isn’t his story. Rather, it’s the tale of a man totally oblivious to his Internet fame. His name is Jack Rebney, a.k.a. the Angriest Man in the World, a.k.a. the eponymous Winnebago Man.
The documentary Winnebago Man begins with filmmaker Ben Steinbauer seeking to find the star of a viral video depicting a man swearing vehemently at everything he sees. This man is Rebney, a former Winnebago salesman (hence the nickname) whose two-decade old profanity-laced video outtakes earned him his dubious Internet fame.
After many escapades and adventures to find Rebney (such as tracking down the film crew who filmed the outtakes), Steinbauer finally gets a call from the unwitting celebrity, who lives a reclusive life on top of a mountain. While Rebney is reluctant to meet Steinbauer in the beginning, he eases off and agrees to meet.
Both Steinbauer and the audience are led to believe that Rebney has cooled his heels in the intervening years, and seems a calmer man at first. He doesn’t even know that YouTube exists, let alone that it has made him a star.
However, the assumption that he is now a frail old man is far from the truth, with Rebney possessing most, if not all, of his trademark short temper.
Steinbauer and Rebney form a working relationship. Steinbauer wants to make Rebney famous again so he can show the world that the angriest man in the world is still alive and Rebney wants to clear his name on the Internet.
The film is undoubtedly entertaining to those familiar with the history of the Internet. Many references are made to notorious viral videos, chronicling what happened to their stars.
People not as familiar with how net culture works will not likely understand the message the film is trying to convey: that the Internet is both a blessing and a curse.