DumbLand (TV Mini Series) The Treadmill (2002) User Reviews

Man Versus Machine

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 27 January 2016]

The Neanderthal is trying to watch football. His neurotic wife is in the other room, running on a treadmill. After he knocks her through the wall, the thing keeps going. In an effort to stop it, he, himself, is shot through the wall. All his efforts are of no use. He ends up in his yard, defecating, where he meets a salesman who tries to sell him a product that makes one smell good. There is no real sense to any of this. As with most animation, the treadmill is no longer an issue. He simply acts in the most irrational of ways and continues his abusive ways. Lynch, the ultimate desensitizer, takes us along for the ride. There's not much to be said for this other than it is utterly weird and outrageous. There is a scene at the end with his son that needs some analysis.

The Treadmill

[Michael_Elliott · 30 April 2016]

Dumbland - The Treadmill (2002)

*** (out of 4)

If you go through David Lynch's filmography you'll notice weird features and weird shorts. This Dumbland series is weird animation as the director takes a large, deformed man and puts him into various situations.

In this second episode the large man is trying to enjoy his television and a beer but his wife is on the treadmill, which leads to a distraction and anger. This second episode isn't quite as darkly bizarre as the first one but it does feature some weird laughs including some domestic violence. Yeah, that's not typically "funny" per say but it's Lynch and it's bizarre. The funny profanity is also on full display for some additional laughs.