Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover and Mia Farrow star in "Be Kind Rewind," the fourth feature film directed by Michel Gondry. Gondry, who is most notorious for directing one of the best films of 2004 -- "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" -- has his own unique visual and story-telling style, and it serves him well in bringing to life a hard-to-buy modern-day story about a run-down video store that only sells VHS tapes to people who have never seen or even heard of such titles as "Ghostbusters" or "Driving Miss Daisy." So, to re-cap, not only is the store's owner (Danny Glover) out of touch, but so is the town in which he runs his business. Up and down the aisles of 'Be Kind Rewind' (conveniently, the name of the store in the movie) are box after box of blockbusters and cult-classics, all readily available on the now-defunct VHS format. To those who may miss the glory days of the independent video store or, God forbid, VHS tapes (browse through the "Formats" section on IMDb's message board and you'll run into a few), the world in which the characters in this film inhabit is a virtual paradise.
The story is rather plain and innocent, and since there is no real villain, we have to assume that Jack Black's character, as he inadvertently erases all the tapes due to being highly magnetized (don't ask how), is the antagonist. But that's not quite right. In fact, he's the catalyst, as he joins forces with the store clerk (Mos Def) in creating abbreviated, low-budget, home-made remakes to replace the now-useless video tapes. It fools the customers, who are told that the films are "Sweded" versions (imported from Sweden), thus explaining why they look so low-budget. The "Sweded" versions become a phenomenon in town, as the store owner is out-of-town, researching in hopes of switching to the DVD-format, which is funny, as even now, DVD is being slowly pushed aside by a new format in the form of Blu-Ray. Even a pending lawsuit doesn't stop the two from re-creating everything from "Men In Black" to "Rocky" to "2001: A Space Odyssey".
The overall plot and tone of the "Be Kind Rewind" is pretty simple and wholesome, and it's hard to tell if it's meant to be a valentine to the home-video lover, or if it's just a eulogy or a tribute to the long-lost VHS. As it stands, though, it's a solid yet mellow film that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's got an unlimited appeal, as it seems aimed at just about anyone who loves movies. There's nothing ground-breaking, and direction-wise, Gondry takes less risks than he did in "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" and keeps the visual flare to a minimum. Jack Black is Jack Black, while Mos Def delivers another solid performance, another notch in the belt of a truly gifted and rising actor. Danny Glover is great in everything he does, and seeing him back in action in the film is a treat, as well as Mia Farrow, who plays the loony, out-of-touch customer all too convincingly. The real star of the movie, though, is the video store and the tapes that line it's wall. It's a simple film that is simple and easy to enjoy. A nice way to kick back on a Saturday afternoon, much in the same way as you probably did when VHS was still around and renting videos from the local video store was a pleasure.
The story is rather plain and innocent, and since there is no real villain, we have to assume that Jack Black's character, as he inadvertently erases all the tapes due to being highly magnetized (don't ask how), is the antagonist. But that's not quite right. In fact, he's the catalyst, as he joins forces with the store clerk (Mos Def) in creating abbreviated, low-budget, home-made remakes to replace the now-useless video tapes. It fools the customers, who are told that the films are "Sweded" versions (imported from Sweden), thus explaining why they look so low-budget. The "Sweded" versions become a phenomenon in town, as the store owner is out-of-town, researching in hopes of switching to the DVD-format, which is funny, as even now, DVD is being slowly pushed aside by a new format in the form of Blu-Ray. Even a pending lawsuit doesn't stop the two from re-creating everything from "Men In Black" to "Rocky" to "2001: A Space Odyssey".
The overall plot and tone of the "Be Kind Rewind" is pretty simple and wholesome, and it's hard to tell if it's meant to be a valentine to the home-video lover, or if it's just a eulogy or a tribute to the long-lost VHS. As it stands, though, it's a solid yet mellow film that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's got an unlimited appeal, as it seems aimed at just about anyone who loves movies. There's nothing ground-breaking, and direction-wise, Gondry takes less risks than he did in "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" and keeps the visual flare to a minimum. Jack Black is Jack Black, while Mos Def delivers another solid performance, another notch in the belt of a truly gifted and rising actor. Danny Glover is great in everything he does, and seeing him back in action in the film is a treat, as well as Mia Farrow, who plays the loony, out-of-touch customer all too convincingly. The real star of the movie, though, is the video store and the tapes that line it's wall. It's a simple film that is simple and easy to enjoy. A nice way to kick back on a Saturday afternoon, much in the same way as you probably did when VHS was still around and renting videos from the local video store was a pleasure.