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Be Kind Rewind

(2008) Comedy - Rated PG-13

Directed by: Michel Gondry

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def

Overview: Two friends create homemade versions of popular movies to replace a video store's damaged inventory.

RATINGS:

  • Be Kind Rewind

    Rentals fly off the shelves after two friends (Jack Black, Mos Def) create homemade versions of popular movies to replace a video store's obliterated inventory.

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    Reviews

    REELZ REVIEW
    "One thing you always know going into a Michel Gondry movie (Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless..."  [more]
    — Jeff Otto

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    • MovieFan89

      07/11/08 08:44 PM
      The plot of the story isn't the best I've seen. Though it was very funny most of the time. Overall this movie was one of my most favourite movies.

      ~MovieFan89~
      (Written by: Jeffrey)
      Review Rating: 0
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    • Jeff Otto

      ReelzChannel.com, February 22, 2008
      One thing you always know going into a Michel Gondry movie (Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is that you are going to see something quite unique. Love or hate what he does, Gondry will always show you something you've never seen before.


      Buried within Passaic, New Jersey is a tiny little video store that is still clinging to the past. In the age of digital DVDs (and now Blu-Ray) the "Be Kind Rewind" store is still holding onto their vast VHS library to cater to the simple members of their little community. Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) owns the store and entrusts the daily responsibilities to the simple, kind-hearted Mike (Mos Def). Mike's longtime friend Jerry (Jack Black) is a mechanic with a host of wild conspiracy theories about the power plant near his house, which he believes is slowly poisoning him.


      Be Kind RewindMr. Fletcher claims that the video store was also the former home of Jazz great Fats Waller, entertaining Mike with tails of the great musician's humble upbringing. When Mr. Fletcher decides to take a trip to commemorate Fats' death, he leaves Mike in charge with one simple caveat -- keep Jerry out. And everything is going fine for Mike until Jerry decides to wage war with the power plant. He unwittingly magnetizes himself and, when he goes to visit Mike at the store, winds up erasing all the tapes. This sends Mike and Jerry into a desperate effort to keep the store afloat with all the tapes erased. Of course, now the only possible solution is to re-shoot all the movies themselves from scratch. Makes sense, right? What is originally intended as a temporary fix turns out to be a hit in the community and soon everyone wants their movie rental "sweded" (the new term for their homemade remakes).


      Entering into Michel Gondry's world means surrendering reality at the door and Be Kind Rewind is no different. If you think too much about the logistics of Mike and Jerry's situation, you are clearly missing the point. You also won't really enjoy the movie very much. The plot of Be Kind Rewind is completely and utterly ridiculous and it is well aware of that fact.


      Watching Mike and Jerry recreate scenes from movie classics like Ghostbusters (featuring pipe cleaners as proton streams), Rush Hour 2 (airborne fights on a jungle gym) and Driving Miss Daisy(Jack Black as Jessica Tandy = Priceless) is a riot.


      Black is so over-the-top and Mos is so lovable, the two work well together as an unlikely comedy duo. They appear to have had a lot of fun making this movie and recreating all of the movie moments and that fun spills over into the experience of watching Be Kind Rewind.


      Gondry is generally associated with his strong visual sense, but Be Kind has a very homemade look to it, much as his previous effort, Science of Sleep, did. This is clearly intentional and it does suit the overall feel of the movie. This is a simple film about simple people who love movies. It strays far away from any film-snob pretensions, choosing pop culture mainstream modern cinema as a reference point rather than cinematic classics.


      Be Kind doesn't have the deep, lingering messages of Eternal Sunshine and it doesn't have the mind trips of Science of Sleep. In the end, it is an enjoyable little fluffy bit of fun that entertains as escapism much like the very movies Mike and Jerry are sweding.


      ReelzChannel Rating:  7

  • 21 photos. Click to enlarge.

    • moviefangurl189

      02/23/08 09:31 PM
      i really want to see this movie. it looks so funny!
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    • THE NEW REVIEW

      06/30/08 02:38 AM
      JACK BLACK AND MOS DEF ARE SO FUNNY.THERE FUNNIER TOGETHER THAN OWEN WILSON AND JACKIE CHAN.THEY SPOOF OF ALL TYPES OF FAVORITE MOVIES.MIB,GHOSTBUSTERS,RUSH HOUR 2,LIOIN KING AND MANY MORE.\
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    • MovieFan89

      07/11/08 08:44 PM
      The plot of the story isn't the best I've seen. Though it was very funny most of the time. Overall this movie was one of my most favourite movies.

      ~MovieFan89~
      (Written by: Jeffrey)
      Review Rating: 0
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    • johnlennonlives

      06/22/08 09:46 PM
      Be Kind Rewind

      "You name it, we shoot it"

      Jack Black does start as his usual zany self. You know, that guy you think needs ADHD medicine but never takes any and winds up running down the street naked (true story.) Well, instead of being naked Black just becomes magnetized, which if you don't know, is bad because it will erase the video tapes. Once this happens Jack becomes calmer and doesn't do anything more zany. His character probably changes the most and plays well off of Mos Def.

      The story is nothing too teriblly new, it is basically about that feeling of nostalgia and good vs. evil. The good being our heroes Mos Def, Jack Black and Danny Glover, the bad being the condo people trying to demolish the building (damn, why must it always be the condos!?) the sweeds are funny and are worth watching. It all went by too quick. I also thought the solution to Jack's problem went by too quick and if you literally blink, you might miss it. Also, it does change tones a lot, going from drama to comedy then vice versa, after the remakes it got all serious that's when I lost a lot of my intrest. Michel Gondry does need help from some people to write another Academy Award winning script.

      As said before, a lot of the acting is done well and some is done bad. Mos Def is probably one of the best rappers turned actors ever. But, I thought Melonie Diaz isgiven a bit too much and her acting wasn't too great. Danny Glover and Mia Farrow aren't given much to work with and should've had bigger parts. It was pretty mediocre all around.

      I did however like the "sweed" idea and I really want to do it as soon as I get my hands on a video camera (mine broke.) So big points for giving me something to do on the weekends.

      As for my favorite "sweed" I really liked Boyz n the Hood. Just hearing Jack say "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR HOOD!?" is hilarious!

      Rating: Cute.
      Review Rating: -1
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  • Crew

    Director Michel Gondry
    Producer Julie Fong
    Producer Georges Bermann
    Executive Producer Toby Emmerich
    Executive Producer Guy Stodel

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