Stars: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Reviewed by: Adam Mast, Zboneman.com
Grade: C+
Be Kind Rewind is the latest offering from gifted visionary Michel
Gondry, the wonderfully innovative director behind Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind.
In this quirky little movie, Jack Black and Mos Def play video store clerks who set out to remake their entire store's inventory of tapes after Black accidentally erases them all. After putting a few re-created titles on the shelves – Jack and Mos deem these recreations sweded versions – the video store becomes an overnight phenome.
When I first heard about the premise for this film, I couldn't wait to see it. The idea of amateur film makers remaking famous movies with a cheap camcorder and no budget sounded like a plot any respectable movie geek would instantly fall in love with, and with a creative guy like Gondry at the helm? Well, that's just the icing on the cake.
Sadly though, Be Kind Rewind never really comes together as one would have hoped. For starters, the set-up is strange, and not in an interesting way. Furthermore, the film's sense of whimsy only gets it so far.
Black is energetic, but there's nothing particularly charming about him here. Mos Def is the straight man to Black's bundle of energy, and while he is a fascinating performer, he's never really allowed to shine in Be Kind Rewind.
In the end though, Be Kind Rewind isn't really a movie about performance. It's about Gondry's visual sensibility. And truth be told, there are some pretty cool things to look at. What's really disappointing are the film re creations. Save for, maybe, the Driving Miss Daisy re-do, many of these film recreations - including Rush Hour 2, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and Robocop – fall a little flat. One might find more imagination on you tube.
There are some laughs to be found in Be Kind Rewind, and there's even a little sweetness bubbling just below the surface. The ending of the picture in particular offers up a sense of community that really seems to be missing in today's cynical world, and I suppose that's the message Gondry is trying to convey.
The problem is, the idea of Be Kind Rewind is much stronger than the finished product. Gondry recently posted a sweded Be Kind Rewind trailer at You Tube. It's an absolute scream. In fact, I'm sad to report that it's much more entertaining than the film itself. Check it out.
