Thoughts.com Blogs - "Be Kind Rewind"--movie review

Jack Black and Mos Def try to save the 80s(format of VHS, that is) with homemade versions of various movies in the PG-13 film "Be Kind Rewind". A half-baked comedy with a tiny golden nugget of heart. It's a familiar story of a small town video and thrift store--built around a legend of a jazz musician--which is marked for demolition. Push comes to shove when Jack Black's character--after becoming magnetized in a power plant "accident"--causes a disasterous erasure of all the VHS tapes in the store. But, together with Mos Def and a cast of the neighborhood, they remake many memorable films with old equipment and dime-store props which surprisingly grabs the interest of those living in the area as word spreads fast.

Black plays Jerry, a paranoid conspiracy theory nut--living out of a trailer near a power plant and salvage yard-- who uses his guile to con Mike(Def) into crazy schemes. Jack Black is known for his physical comedy and wily-faced antics, but there is nothing new here. There isn't much to the story that hasn't been seen before, either. [In fact, the 90 minute film ran by rather quickly, and the plot was thin yet not so noticeable.] Still, Black's charms are infectious. Mos Def(this being the first film starring him that I think I have seen) steals the show as the chummy poor guy who humbly acts out and suffers grief from Black's character among others. Danny Glover plays the mild-mannered, ever-learning Mr. Fletcher, the owner of the tiny business in Passaic, New Jersey(which is also the building in which he and Mike(Def) live). Melonie Diaz is the cute and loveable Alma who is the sister of the girl working the Dry Cleaning shop counter nearby. She is the piston that keeps the engine of cheaply making movies, or "sweding" as Black coins the phrase, alive(and she doesn't look half-bad in a mock-police uniform either). Sigourney Weaver plays one of the "bad guys" who has come to confiscate the "illegal" tapes/DVDs and shut the place down. Mia Farrow is a somewhat faithful aging customer of the shop who goes from being fearful of it's failing condition to being a pleading supporter for its survival.

Despite a weak ending--which is one thing that sabotages the film(and many others likewise)--and a somewhat unrealistic and "dumbed-down"(example being when they spend way too much time figuring out a simple message written backwards on a window) plot, this movie has some flashes of brilliance and golden kernels of comedy and message. The message being to be inspired and make your own films to keep the industry alive. One of the nice touches is the use of special effects to display magnetism which not only affects Jerry(Black) and the video shop tapes but also the movie itself. There are moments when the film distorts and fizzles. There is also a comedic genius moment and use of spray paint camouflage(though it is still hard to believe). Of course, the other highlight is the "sweding" of films, a few I have seen myself(including "Ghostbusters", "2001: Space Odyssey" and "Rush Hour 2"), which I had anticipated above all else. [However, even this could have been done better and with more extensive use. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. Especially how they shifted through a series of films in what seemed like one long shot.] [Spoiler Alert] The team makes a rather decent effort to compose a story based around the jazz legend of Fats Waller at the end which is what we see bits of in the beginning. It is remarkable(and maybe too idealistic) in how they incorporate much of the community in the project. [I just hate to see a priest/minister lie even if it is for the sake of the community.] The "tear-jerker" comes when the tapes and DVDs are destroyed by a steamroller(which seemed a bit pathetic and excessive compared to a simple hammering or hand-snapping) and when the "truth" of jazz legend is revealed.

This is hardly a blockbuster film, but I doubt it was intended to be. It is a small town film directed at the heart of movie making. There is even mention of bootlegging and piracy in it as a hint to current events/times and a message to those who participate in that activity. This is a movie for all those who have ever wanted to pick up a video camera and make something of themselves if for no other reason than to entertain their family and/or neighborhood. It would be great for kids(some of who were at the theater at the showing I attended) if they had any clue what these movies the cast is mocking are(many of which were made either in the 80s/early 90s or earlier). I would hope this would inspire them and many others to seek out the films mentioned to identify with the clips. Some may say this movie would have been better attended in the mid 90s when DVDs were first taking over the market. And, that may be true. But, it could do just as well today if not for a few glitches. I will recommend this film to all the young filmmakers I know. It is best enjoyed by fellow "film buffs" together so they may compare memories of the older films.

Overall, I give "Be Kind Rewind"(rated PG-13 mainly because of a pointless chat the three main characters have near the beginning which involves anatomy and sexual situations) a meager two and a quarter stars. I'd like to thank Mos Def and Melonie Diaz for saving the film and for all those in the film who inspire others to make their own movies. [Jack Black shows his best work to date in "School of Rock" in my opinion.] I just wish it had more "bite" and a MUCH better ending to it to make it a shelf classic instead of a mediocre "Indie". With that, I would suggest the team behind the film be kind, rewind and fine tune this inspirational machine without excess of over-sized exhaust pipes and short cuts(just as Mos Def tries to shoot one last addition to the Fats Waller film the neighborhood makes to make it better).

Fun fact: You can view the "sweded" films used in the movie at www.bekindrewind-themovie.com

--brainstormer, free-lance movie critic and participant in the Thoughts.com blogging experience.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_Kind_Rewind