Rubin & Ed (1991)

“Just give them a buzz, tell them I’m out in the middle of the desert with an asswipe and a frozen cat.” A bizarre and surreal road movie, Crispin Glover portrays an agoraphobic weirdo named “Rubin Farr,” who sports a page-boy haircut, thick glasses, bell-bottom pants and high platform shoes. Rubin’s domineering mother (Anna Louise Daniels) takes away his boom box and will only return it under the condition that he leaves his room and finds a friend. So Rubin “kidnaps” hapless real estate salesman “Ed Tuttle” (played by Howard “Dr. Johnny Fever” Hesseman), who wears a bad toupee and a leisure suit, and the two freaks head out to Death Valley to bury Rubin’s frozen cat, “Simon” (who is actually seen waterskiing during a dream sequence). Do I have to even bother mentioning that this totally bizarre, frequently hilarious flick is not for all tastes? Written and directed by Trent Harris, Rubin & Ed also stars Karen Black as Ed’s ex-wife “Rula,” Michael Greene as “Mr. Busta” and Brittney Lewis as “Poster Girl.” Glover appeared in character as Rubin in a memorable (albeit disastrous) stint on Late Night with David Letterman in 1987.

Leave a Reply

Close Menu