| Rating: |
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| Ru Shah |
| Be Kind Rewind USA, 2008 [Michel Gondry] Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Melonie Diaz, Mia Farrow Comedy |
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| 3rd August 2008 |
| I love having Netflix. Any movie that sounds even vaguely interesting gets added to my queue. I must have skipped over all the trailers and marketing for Be Kind Rewind when it was initially released because I had no idea what the plot was or who the starring actors were (until I read the Netflix summary of course, but even then I wasn�t sure what to expect with the odd foursome of Jack Black, Mos Def, Mia Farrow and Danny Glover). If I had to do a movie review in one word, I�d choose original.
Since my expectations were on the no-to-low side, I was surprised that the film was actually quite enjoyable. Of course there was an unrealistic premise and the acting was minimalistic but there was enough quirky humor to carry the movie. Mr. Fletcher, played by Danny Glover, is the owner of the Be Kind Rewind video store. He leaves Mike (Mos Def) in charge while he seeks out new ways to save the building and his faltering business. When the store�s entire stock of VHS tapes are erased by Mike�s softheaded pal Jerry (Black), this Lucy-and-Ethelesque pair must do on-the-spot remakes of Hollywood hits to stay in business. The movie�s opening scene confused me at first as it started with an old-timey reel about beloved local hero, Fats Waller, and the evil property developers who wanted to shut down the local neighborhood co-op shared by the tight knit community of Passaic, New Jersey. I admit I didn�t put two and two together properly until I caught wind of the Hollywood remakes of Jerry and Mike. After the what-seemed-to-be-disconnected-at-the-time plot is set, we see Jack Black�s character getting electrocuted at a power plant that he is attempting to destroy. He is convinced the plant is microwaving the district, and by extension, him. He emerges implausibly alive, slightly toasted (literally) and with magnetizing powers which hilariously attract all things metal, very similar to the semi-popular bank scene from �Ernest Goes to Jail� (what - Ed). The film takes off when Mike and Jerry learn that all the VHS tapes have been erased but need to keep their customers happy. They promise faithful yet slightly-off-her-rocker customer, Miss Falewicz (Farrow), a copy of Ghostbusters. After not being able to find a copy on VHS anywhere, Mike and Jerry realize the only choice they have is to grab a camcorder and make their own version. They figure Falewicz won�t notice the difference and in a matter of hours put together their own version with a short script and cheap special effects. Soon, they are doing �Sweded� remakes of the store�s diverse and largely dated inventory (Driving Miss Daisy, Rush Hour 2, Men In Black, 2001: A Space Odyssey etc etc) for other customers. This is where I really started enjoying the film. Black�s character gets a chance to be in another remake of King Kong, but playing the ape this time. Of course they only highlight a handful of the remakes (too much of a good thing can be bad, right?) and the rest we see montaged on cassette spines. All is going well until the fickle but ultimately moving third act when the bad guys show up. In this case, the antagonists are from the film industry (including a cameo from Sigourney Weaver) who threaten to destroy all the tapes due to copyright issues ruining Jerry and Mike�s brilliant plan to save the neighborhood business. The film dithers between delightful and stale moments, the latter of which can drag on a bit. There are some unmentioned secondary characters who drift in and out which leaves some open plot holes. However, the movie does have heart and the parody film trailers, which are on the official site, are terrific! Worth checking out if you�re in the mood for a good laugh and nothing else. |
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