If you’ve ever seen a guy in towering platform shoes wandering the Utah desert with a frozen cat in a cooler, you’ve probably seen Rubin and Ed. It's weird. Really weird. Released in 1991, this movie is the kind of thing that usually falls through the cracks of film history, yet it has survived through word-of-mouth and grainy VHS bootlegs. Honestly, it’s a miracle it exists at all.
Directed by Trent Harris, a filmmaker who basically defines the term "underground," the movie stars Crispin Glover and Howard Hesseman. You probably know Glover as George McFly from Back to the Future, but in this, he is Rubin Farr—a reclusive, Mahler-loving misfit with hair that defies gravity. Hesseman plays Ed Tuttle, a middle-aged loser desperate to climb the ladder of a real estate pyramid scheme called "The Organization."
What actually happens in the Rubin and Ed movie?
The plot is deceptively simple. Rubin’s mom takes away his stereo. She won't give it back until he makes a friend. Meanwhile, Ed is door-knocking, trying to find recruits for a "Power of Positive Real Estate" seminar. He's a guy who uses words like "realization" to mask the fact that his life is a total wreck.
They meet. They clash. They end up in a car together.
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Rubin agrees to go to the seminar, but there's a catch: Ed has to help him find the "perfect spot" to bury his dead cat, Simon. Simon is currently residing in a plastic cooler, frozen solid. This leads them deep into the Utah wilderness—specifically places like Goblin Valley and the salt flats near Hanksville—where the car inevitably breaks down.
Why the desert matters
Most road movies are about the destination. This one is about getting lost in the heat until you start seeing things. The desert isn't just a backdrop; it’s a character. As they wander, the bickering reaches a fever pitch. Ed is screaming about "The Organization" and his ex-wife (played by the legendary Karen Black), while Rubin is off in his own world, eventually hallucinating a water-skiing cat.
It sounds like a fever dream because it basically is.
The Crispin Glover factor
Let's talk about the 1987 David Letterman incident. If you've seen the clip of Glover nearly kicking Letterman in the face while wearing a wig and platform shoes, you’ve seen Rubin Farr. Glover was actually in character for this movie years before it was even finished. He stayed in character so hard that people thought he was having a genuine breakdown on national television.
That commitment is all over the screen. Rubin isn't just a "weird guy." He's a hyper-specific brand of social isolation. He squeaks a rubber mouse to the beat of classical music. He wears pinstriped bell-bottoms. He’s oddly disciplined in his weirdness. Howard Hesseman’s Ed is the perfect foil—loud, sweaty, and tragically "normal" in his pursuit of a scammy American Dream.
Why you can't find it on Netflix
Tracking down the Rubin and Ed movie is a quest in itself. It’s not on the big streaming platforms. For years, the only way to see it was to buy a DVD directly from Trent Harris’s own website, Echo Cave.
- The film was a box office dud.
- Critics at the time didn't know what to make of it.
- It's technically "lost" in terms of mainstream distribution.
Trent Harris actually sells "bootleg" copies of his own film because a major studio release never really materialized. It adds to the mystique. When you watch it, you feel like you’ve joined a secret club of people who appreciate the "Echo People" and the absurdity of a guy tying a hubcap to his head to stay cool.
Is it actually a "good" movie?
That depends on your definition of good. If you want a tight, three-act structure with a satisfying moral, look elsewhere. But if you want a film that captures the feeling of being an outsider, it's a masterpiece. It’s a character study of two people who are completely incompatible but have nobody else in the world.
There's a surprising amount of heart buried under the cat-burying plot. Ed is lonely. Rubin is lonely. They are both failures in the eyes of society. In the vastness of the Utah desert, their failures don't matter as much. They just are.
How to watch and what to look for
If you manage to snag a copy, pay attention to the dialogue. It's snappy and bizarre. Phrases like "My cat can eat a whole watermelon" have become mantras for fans.
- Check Echo Cave: Support the director directly. Trent Harris is a legend in the Salt Lake City scene and still makes art.
- Look for the "Beaver Trilogy": If you like this, you need to see Harris's other work. It explains where the character of Rubin partially originated.
- Watch the Letterman clip first: It sets the mood. It helps you understand that Glover wasn't just "acting"; he was living this character for a long time.
Moving forward with your cult film obsession
If you're diving into the world of 90s underground cinema, Rubin and Ed is the ultimate litmus test. Once you've seen it, you start seeing its influence everywhere, from SpongeBob SquarePants (the pizza delivery episode has some suspicious parallels) to the general vibe of early indie cinema.
Start by digging into the filmography of Trent Harris. His books, like Mondo Utah, provide the context for why his movies feel so steeped in the local lore and "sci-fi" Mormon doctrine of the region. After that, look into the early work of Crispin Glover, specifically The Orkly Kid. It’s a rabbit hole, but it’s a fun one.