Winnebago Man
| Winnebago Man | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ben Steinbauer |
| Produced by | Joel Heller Malcolm Pullinger Ben Steinbauer |
| Written by | Malcolm Pullinger Ben Steinbauer |
| Starring | Jack Rebney Ben Steinbauer Keith Gordon Nick Prueher Joe Pickett Douglas Rushkoff Charlie Sotelo Cinco Barnes Alan Berliner Mike Mitchell Alexsey Vayner |
| Music by | Lyman Hardy Andrew Hoke Taylor Holland |
| Cinematography |
Bradley Beesley Berndt Mader |
| Edited by | Malcolm Pullinger |
| Distributed by | Kino International |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Winnebago Man is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Ben Steinbauer. The film follows the Internet phenomenon created by a series of twenty-year-old outtakes from a Winnebago sales video featuring profane outbursts from the salesperson, Jack Rebney. Originally intended as an inside joke, the video spread across the globe first on VHS then via YouTube and other online video sites, earning the salesman the title of "The Angriest Man in the World".
The documentary explores the story of the clips' origins and how, two decades later, it affects the reluctant star.
The documentary starts with Steinbauer's obsession with a widely circulated viral video featuring outtakes from an RV commercial shoot, centered on a cantankerous pitchman who regularly becomes outraged and flustered, cursing in colorful mannerisms. Steinbauer researches the video, and discovers that it had been circulating on VHS long before it appeared on the Internet.
With the help of a private detective, Steinbauer ultimately tracks down the infamous "Winnebago Man": Jack Rebney. Steinbauer visits Rebney at his home in a remote mountain area in California. Steinbauer is surprised to find Rebney to be calm, congenial, and articulate — in contrast to the angry, profane man on the famous video. Rebney claims to be indifferent about the video and its popularity on the Internet. Steinbauer returns home disappointed.
But soon, Rebney begins contacting Steinbauer, and admits that he had not been candid in their first encounter. He reveals that he has long been angry about the video and its notoriety because he does not want to be remembered that way. Steinbauer learns that Rebney was once a news broadcaster and editor who left the industry embittered by the decline in real news and the rise of opinion-based news and punditry; additionally, Rebney reveals that he now has strong political opinions that he wants to share. Rebney invites Steinbauer for a second visit, but before this takes place, local papers report that Rebney had gone missing for a time while taking a walk. When Steinbauer makes his second visit to Rebney's home, a now openly cantankerous Rebney explains that he is now blind.
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Wikipedia