Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind is Michael Gondry's little baby of a movie, moving on from his more well-known films Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep to do something decidedly different. Starring Jack Black as quirky film buff Jerry (who has too many movie ideas) and Mos Def as Mike, a clerk who works at Elroy Fletcher's (Danny Glover) run-down VHS rental store with the same name as the movie, BKR pits its characters against one problem after another. First, the town wants to close Fletcher's business down because of both the dilapidated building and the fact that it seems no one wants to rent VHS movies anymore with the more interesting and high-tech DVD video stores in the area. As Fletcher sets out to find out what the people "really" want, Mike takes over the store. In an attempt to help save the business, Jerry comes up with a ridiculous action movie-like stunt, in in the end becomes magnetized and erases all of the videos in the store. When people start requesting films, Jerry and Mike are forced to go out and reshoot all of the videos, using their own home movie creations. Finally, after a copyright infringement, Fletcher and company have to come up with some way to make enough money to fix the store before the city tears it down.

Just to let everyone know now, I was a huge fan of Eternal Sunshine, although I have never seen The Silence of Sleep. With that said, I was not even aware of Gondry's work in this film until after I had researched it. I guess BKR didn't have the same feel as that movie, although looking back, I can see some resemblences.


The quirky nature of BKR will cater to fans of comedies, but film buffs will also get a kick out of the satire that Black and Mos Def bring to some influential films when the audience sees footage of their reshoots. Some creative ideas came about for the "home videos," and it was really interesting to see how BKR went about recreating classic movies. I for one really liked Jerry and Mike's rendition of Ghostbusters, because the movies always have pieces of the original, but the way they go about making the scenes happen are the real draws here.


Black is funny as always, although he seems a bit more relaxed in his role as Jerry. Mos Def plays his part considerably well, both likable and believable. Glover makes due with his small role, never stealing the show but holding his own. Most of the comedy can be found from beginning to middle of the film, with the ending taking a more dramatic turn, which is understandable to get the most out of the themes that it is presenting.

Sure, seeing Jack Black become magnetized is funny for a while, but it could have easily become stale, and it is a good thing that the film realized this. The magnetism aspect slowly fades out of existence as the industry for reinterpreting films becomes booming, and this was a smart idea because the hokey unreal feel of a man getting magnetized slightly detracts from the theme of the film. The strongest part of the film is neither the magnetism nor the subsequent reshoots of classic films: it lies in the ability to tell a story about a video rental store that is being put out of business by more technologically advanced stores, and then succeeding.


The film feels a lot like a home movie in itself. The actors aren't refined here; they've left their talents to the wayside to emphasize the low-budget feel. The acting is somewhat like how real people talk and act, which gave the film a personable aspect that made it cute and cuddly. While it is a comedy, it succeeds at being more. There is drama and conflict that must be overcome, and it finally is when the town shows their appreciation for the dwindling life of the VHS tape. At this point, a sense of satisfaction can be felt: the audience has been sucked into this world of reinterpreting classics so much so that it feels as if they have also contributed to the success of Fletcher's video store, and therein lies the spread of warmth that one has felt from the beginning of the film - a sense of belonging.

While BKR does seem a bit rushed in its race to a conclusion (most notably in the fact that the audience is not really explicitly told much of the story - not necessarily a bad thing), the entertaining movie reshoot sequences coupled with the sense of companionship with the characters makes for a pleasant viewing, one that is less refined and rightfully so considering its topic of choice. Ironically, I watched this on DVD, and it almost makes me pine for a VCR. One thing is for sure about BKR though - even though its subject matter is almost obselete, the film is still very relevant, at least until there is a generation that has never experienced a VHS tape.

Be Kind Rewind

I got attracted to this film by reading the synopsis alone. The idea of having Jack Black reenacting scenes from classic movies was a must for me to watch. Mos Def is perfect to complement Black’s restrained OTT persona onscreen as Def is usually the kind and gentle one. Memorably, the movies ‘sweded’ were Ghostbusters, Rush Hour and Robocop; not forgetting the montage of a several movies that was done continuously for eight minutes. I liked it when Black was running, walking and talking like Jackie Chan. He really studied his fine characteristics that’s for sure. Michel Gondry who helmed the complex Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind gets more mainstream with this offering. Let’s swede some movies shall we?

Funnily, of all the videos in Danny Glover's store, there were none that stars Jack Black, Mos Def or Glover himself.

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What the hell was i thinking?

Back in July of 2008, I wrote a review of the Michel Gondry film Be Kind Rewind. In it, I had written about how it was a predominantly nice film that wasn't so much funny as it was sweet and fun. It reminded me of how my friends and I made our own movies and I liked that I could relate to it. I only gave it a 5.5 out of 10, but that is still a mild recommendation. Recently on a free preview of Cinemax, I got the chance to watch Be Kind Rewind again. I recalled all the nice things I had written about it and thought I'd give it a second watch. After an hour, I had to shut off the television because I couldn't take it anymore. I had made a mistake.

I never said Be Kind Rewind was a very good film. Whenever somebody asked me "Hey, what did you think of this movie?" I never said it was a good movie. My answer was always the same: "It was nice. Very pleasant." I am deeply sorry for misleading you. There is nothing nice or pleasant about this movie. In my first review I made a point of saying how the script was awful, the direction was trite, and the acting was subpar. Those statements stand where they are. But I did say that I enjoyed Jack Black's performance as the eccentric conspiracy theorist Jerry. Holy hell I must have been slipped acid before watching this movie the first time. The second time around, it was Black who I hated THE MOST. He was nothing more than an annoying pestilence. Also at second viewing, the lazy direction and camerawork proved to be not just trite but unyieldingly soporific. It was seriously as though my friends and I through this movie together in a week. And do you know how I said I liked this movie because it reminded me of my friends and the fun we had making our own movies? Well I'm over it.

Sure I didn't watch Be Kind Rewind all the way through the second time, but I wasn't going to subject myself to the rest of it again. After shutting it off, I just thought back to what the ending was, and realized how unfulfilling and inconclusive it was. Forget all the stuff I said before, because I retract it all. My new rating (1/10)