BROTHER WALRUS: RUBIN & ED

"It's gonna get weird now, isn't it?"

Every once in awhile, you see a film that defies description - a film that makes you shake your head and say, "Who came up with this idea? And how in the hell did they get funding for it?"

And sometimes that film is brilliant!

Last night my wife and I revisited the film "Rubin & Ed." It's from 1991 and stars Crispin Glover and Howard Hesseman.

But let's backtrack a little bit. Back around 1987 or so, the wacky Crispin Glover made one of the strangest appearances ever on Late Night With David Letterman. He appeared intense and stoned. He was supposed to promote his new film, "The River's Edge" - an awesome film by the way! But instead... Well, thanks to the glory of Youtube, check it out for yourself. When Glover nearly kicked Dave in the face with his giant platform shoes, Letterman cut to commercial and ended the interview. A few years later, Glover came back on Letterman's show, and denied ever making this appearance.

Fast forward a few years later. Meff calls me up one day in utter excitement. He'd seen an ad in a video store magazine for a film that's about to be released on video. It starred Crispin Glover. And amazingly, Glover was dressed up in the bizarre costume (funky hair, bell bottom pants and platform shoes) that he'd worn on that infamous Letterman appearance. The plot of the film had something to do with a dead cat. I had to see this film!

So I convinced my boss to pony up the $70.00 to by this obscure title. I put it in upon arrival, and laughed my ass off. Here's the plot.

Ed Tuttle (Howard Hesseman) is a loser in life. He joines some sort of get-rich-quick marketing group that requires him to find a recruit to bring to the next meeting. Eventually he meets Rubin Farr (Crispin Glover) who reluctantly agrees to go along, provided Ed first come over to his apartment to meet his mother - who had taken Rubin's music away and had refused to give it back to him until Rubin made a friend and brought him home for dinner.

Did you follow that?

When Ed arrived to pick him up, Rubin informs him that he can't go because his mother isn't home yet. And Ed has to meet his mother first. So they wait a bit. Ed goes to get some ice out of the freezer, and discovers Rubin's frozen, dead cat Simon inside. Simon had died recently. And Rubin kept him in the freezer until he found the proper place to bury him. Ed offers to take Rubin to bury the cat - but only after they attend the meeting. So Rubin packs Simon in an iced cooler and leaves. But Rubin steals the keys and the car and literally kidnaps Ed. They end up in the desert, where the car conks out.

The rest of the film features the pair wandering through the desert in a vain effort to find the perfect place to bury the cat.

The pair eventually do get out of the desert. And Ed manages to drag Rubin to another meeting. Upon arrival, Rubin delcares himself to be the king of the echo people. (You have to watch it to understand.)

No amount of description can do this film justice. You just have to watch it. If you like quirky comedies, this film is pure genius. It features a neverending supply of quotable lines. "My cat can eat a whole watermelon!"

Oh, and Rubin is adept at flinging his platform shoes off his feet and using them as projectile weapons. I kid you not. Just watch the trailer below.

A few years ago, I was able to obtain a copy of the script, as well as my very own Rubin & Ed T-shirt. I got this stuff from the director himself.

If you want to find this on DVD, don't bother. It's never been released. Although you can order it from the director himself. You can also find bootleg DVD's on the internet. If you want an original VHS tape, they usually sell for around $100.00. I've got two of them myself.

The VHS box.