Be Kind Rewind | 
| Director: Michel Gondry
Actors: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz
Studio: New Line Cinema
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 242
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 101 Minutes
ASIN: B001B6PBLU
Theatrical Release Date: February 22, 2008
Release Date: October 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
Jack Black and Mos Def star in Be Kind Rewind, a unique comedy from Academy Award-winning writer/director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Black stars as a loveable loser stuck in a life that's too small for his big dreams. But when he unintentionally erases all the tapes in a video store where his best friend works, he devises a plan to satisfy the store's few loyal customers by re-creating and re-filming every movie they decide to rent. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 71 more reviews...
 Get Sweded April 16, 2008
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
24 out of 27 found this review helpful
VHS is pretty much dead now, but it has one characteristic that "Be Kind Rewind" revolves around: expose it to magnetism, and it dies.
So you can probably guess what happens in Michel Gondry's fourth movie, and his first foray into all-out comedy. It has some plot holes and a rather bizarre premise, but there's a warm, funny little heart buried in the kooky antics and wild remakes of every movie from "Ghostbusters" to "Lord of the Rings."
Be Kind Rewind is an ancient video store, and supposedly the birthplace of unknown jazz legend Fats Waller. It's also due to be razed for a new block of condos -- so store owner Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) goes on a scouting trip for a week, leaving his conscientious clerk Mike (Mos Def) in charge.
Unfortunately local weirdo Jerry (Jack Black) tries to destroy a local power plant, because he believes it's controlling his brain. Instead he gets fried, and his body becomes a walking electromagnet -- which they only discover after he's wandered through the store, erasing all the old tapes. Even worse, a regular customer (Mia Farrow) wants "Ghostbusters" by that evening.
So Mike and Jerry hurriedly shoot their OWN version of the movie, with the help of Alma (Melonie Diaz) and soon they find that their "Sweded" movies have a growing fanbase, and they are statewide celebrities. But the demolition deadline is approaching, and Hollywood lawyers are threatening them for copyright infringement -- will the town's new devotion to these quirky "Sweding" moviemakers help them stay?
Michel Gondry's movies are always set in "real life," but with a few drops of the unreal -- memory erasure, waking surrealist dreams, that kind of thing. And even though "Be Kind Rewind" is set in a grimy, shabby New Jersey town, it has the same delightfully unreal quality -- it's a genial buddy comedy where literally anything can happen.
I'll admit, there are some moments that don't entirely work. Note the awkward "this town is a swamp" exchange, and we're expected to allow the plot holes to slide (where did the infringement lawyers go?). And that whole magnetized body fluids thing was just gross.
But despite its flaws, it's somehow a very lovable movie. It's crammed with physical and verbal comedy ("Iloveyou Iloveyou we'relovers kissme!"), ranging from amateur train hijacks to an inept break-in at a DVD rental store. And a merely entertaining movie becomes sidesplitting when our heroes start shooting a ghastly no-budget "Ghostbusters" with fishing rods, tinsel, and bags of goo. This is followed by "Robocop," "2001," "Rush Hour 2," "Driving Miss Daisy" and several others -- all with no budget, borrowed costumes, cardboard sets, and a cast of rank amateurs.
Gondry is obviously having a roaring good time lampooning Hollywood blockbusters. But he also injects some deeper currents into what could have been a one-joke movie -- there's a bittersweet subplot about the possibility of losing the store that has brought a community together. Yeah, it's supposed to tug at the heartstrings, but it really does work -- particularly since the movie rental industry is going belly-up.
One particularly nice touch is that the movie ends -- and is punctuated by -- scenes of a very low-budget, old-looking biopic of Fats Waller. Initially it just seems like another conceit, but it turns out to be very important to the plot.
Black is a delight as the insane Jerry, brimming with manic energy -- in one scene, he encases himself in aluminum foil. Mos Def's Mike is more pleasant and low-key as the responsible boy-next-door type, and Danny Glover is outstanding as the paternal, gravel-voiced Mr. Fletcher. Diaz is also quite solid as a vague love interest/codirector/costar; and keep an eye out for Sigourney Weaver in a small cameo.
Michel Gondry's fourth full-length film is a big-hearted, mildly bittersweet little comedy, with the slightly unreal quality you expect from his films. I want the Sweded "Be Kind Rewind!"
SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE TRAILER WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE! June 29, 2008
! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b (TRI STATE AREA)
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
I have been anticipating this DVD release for some time now. I have HDNET and I watch the Trailer Show all the time. This was a favorite trailer for the producer's of the show and I saw it a lot and often. I'm a Jack Black fan and even though it looked goofy, I knew I would be eventually seeing this movie!
The film has a bizarre premise, but it's not nearly as goofy as I would have thought. Don't get me wrong, this is a Jack Black movie and Black is hilarious as the town wacko! Mos Def is equally funny as the well meaning video store manager and Danny Glover, Mia Farrow and a cast of ordinary people turn in excellent performances as well.
Film buffs will get a kick out of the home made versions of the films these guys try to replace after all the VHS tapes in their failing video store get erased by Black accidently. What could have been just another ridiculous vehicle that goes nowhere, turns out to be a warm and funny little film. These are ordinary people that do something extraordinary without knowing it and that is why this film is so uplifting and inspired! I found myself caring about their plight even though the film has some ludicrous situations. Kind of like the movie 'Blast From The Past'.
I wish they would have included the full versions of the little films they made in the movie on the DVD as they are available to watch on the website, but it's a minor quibble and I enjoyed this film a lot!
A charming-hilarious film March 3, 2008
-Celine-
14 out of 20 found this review helpful
By accident, Jack Black got magnetized and erased all the tapes at his
friend's video store. To save the business, they decided to re-make the film when the customer orders. They came out with several funny and creative ideas to do the visual effects. And to their surprise, the business went soar with their 'sweding' films.
They finally caught attention of their copyright violation and forced to destroyed all the remakes.
Later, they decide to make a film about Fats Waller, a legendary jazz musician. They made close to people through many interviews of the locals; laughters and memories fill every crevice in Passaic, NJ.
This is a sweet, charming, cute, and funny film with a tinge of sadness-- how a small video store strives to survive under the pressure of blooming franchise stores. And that makes this one a good comedy.
 Totally quirky ... and unsatisfying. February 26, 2008
Maine Writer (Maine, USA)
10 out of 22 found this review helpful
When I first heard the premise of Be Kind, Rewind, I was skeptical. After all, in what universe could you get people to rent VHS tapes? But, if any director could create such a screwy world and find both humor and heart in it, it would be Michel Gondry, right? I loved Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (it may be my all time favorite movie), and the quirky Science of Sleep was very enjoyable. So, I went into Be Kind, Rewind fully ready to love it. Sadly, however, Be Kind, Rewind doesn't measure up. It feels like a movie that can't quite decide what world it wants to inhabit -- in the process it feels rushed, forced, and artificial, as if the pressure to be quirky and heartfelt sabotaged both.
The (almost) saving grace of this movie is that it clearly reflects an original, albeit only partially formed, vision. Charm and playfulness, however, aren't enough. And while Jack Black's performance is endearing to a degree, and many of the other actors seem so earnest in trying to bring Gondry's vision to life, they all ultimately have so little to work with that most of the characterizations fall flat.
In the end, Be Kind, Rewind is at best a partially realized movie that needs to be rewound and remade. It has the potential for brilliance, and a worthy message: Aren't we ready to dump the slick studio made blockbusters for stories by and about real human beings who are motivated by something more than big piles of cash?
 How "Swede" It Is! July 24, 2008
JP's Picks (Boise, ID)
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R184D6H0IM3EDS (With apologies to Amanda Richards and New Line Cinema)
Jerry's a veteran with many mishaps;
Fletcher must pay up or repair the gaps.
Mike is his understudy while he's away,
Preventing a wrecking ball, soon they say.
Jerry's a nuisance in every way;
Plot points are absurd, but, well...okay.
When Jerry tries to sabotage a power plant,
Customers at "Be Kind Rewind" try but can't,
Watch their bargain movies on the VCR,
So Jerry and Mike become the stars,
Of "Sweded" movies made from a mini-cam,
Psyching people out with their silly scam.
Warm, engaging performances by Glover and Mos Def,
Leave us smiling and cheering for what they have left.
Jack Black gives us his usual hyper suit;
Creating a parody that's goofy and cute.
Of every familiar movie you could ever see,
Hooked up to a VCR and a TV!
A J.P.'s Pick--3*'s= Good
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