I have blinders on, but I'm okay with that.See, despite its faults, I can't help but love Be Kind Rewind, the fifth film from Michel Gondry. Though it lacks the impact of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or the dreaminess and worldliness of The Science of Sleep, Rewind more than makes up for it with innovation, creativity and heart bursting from its dilapidated sleeves. I know, I sound kind of like a Hallmark card. I admit it - there's something about the 45-year old Frenchmen that is infallible to me.
The movie starts off slow - Mike (Mos Def) and Jerry (Jack Black) are New Jersey ne'er do wells living in a dying city just outside of Manhattan. Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) runs the local video store, and by video, I mean VHS. It's a run-down store on a run-down block in a run-down city, located right across the street from the local junkyard that Jerry inhabits. When Mr. Fletcher leaves town, he entrusts Mike to run the store for him while he's away. Meanwhile, Jerry, who is a walking disaster and is a paranoid conspiracy theorist, is hatching a plan to take down the power company and the evil, controlling mind waves that the power (radiation?) seems to be giving off. Wackiness ensues.
At first, I didn't find it terribly funny (though some girl in the audience sure did), and the characters seemed...a bit dumb. For every inspired moment, there seemed to be a cheesy or implausible one sure to follow. But as the plot kept moving forward to the good stuff that the trailer promised (the faux flicks that Jack Black and Mos Def's characters start creating), the childlike magic of Gondry got me. The innovation and creativity used to bring the "films" to life is not only awe-inspiring and inspirational (at least to this wannabe filmmaker), but funny as hell to boot. By the time the end rolled around, I couldn't care less how sappy or predictable it was; I was too busy smiling, fully soaked by the strong messages of friendship, neighborhood pride and love of film making that the movie doles out.
So see it, but check your seriousness at the theater door. You'll enjoy it a lot more.
Fletch's Film Rating:
"It's in the hole!"
7 people have chosen wisely: on "Fletch's Film Review: Be Kind Rewind"
"didn't find it terribly funny (though some girl in the audience sure did), and the characters seemed...a bit dumb. For every inspired moment, there seemed to be a cheesy or implausible one sure to follow."
This is how i fel the entire movie. I guess I was just wanting and expecting more.
I loved that Fats doc throughout though. And I did love the creative heart. I guess to me it just felt dry.
Wow, this is the first positive review I read for this movie. I been dying to see it since I saw the trailer a few months back.
Good job.
-Jason
The Fraze has one as well:
http://afrazier.blogspot.com/2008/02/be-kind-rewind.html
I thought about seeing this one this past weekend, but decided not to. I've only seen one 2008 film in the theatre, partly b/c I've been catching up on all the 2007 films and partly b/c there's not a whole lot out I want to see right now. This struck my fancy, so maybe this weekend.
You know that feeling you get when you're out in a public place and you feel like everyone looks especially strange/ugly and a number of bizarre random things happen and you feel like you are on mushrooms. You're not, but you might as well be. That's what Gondry does to me.
I wanted to see this movie, but my theatre didn't get it, so I will have to check it out when it comes to DVD most likely.....
I'm not a huge jack black fan, but I always end up seeing his movies.
I'm sorry dude, but I TOTALLY DISAGREE this was some Break'n 2 Electric Bogaloo, "save the [whatever] sentimental GARBAGE.
And Jack Black needs to retire Jack Black in the same way Jim Carrey at least tried to retire Jim Carrey.
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