Be Kind Rewind

In a suburb of New Jersey Be Kind Rewind is a video shop way behind the times, still trading a dollar a movie a night on video when the rest of the worst has moved onto DVD. Be Kind Rewind, makes little money, none in fact; but its store claims an unusual fame this was where Jazz legend Fats Waller was born. It’s on the basis that this was the birth place of Fats Waller that Elroy Fletcher (Danny Glover) keeps the business alive.

 

In his struggle to support a failing business Fletcher is aided by Mike (Mos Def) who works as Fletcher’s live in sales assistant. While the relationship between Fletcher and Mike is okay, its Mike relationship with local clown Jerry (Jack Black) that causes him a little concern. Fletcher is right to be concerned, Jerry is convinced that the local electric compound is administering mind control over the locals and in an attempt to investigate the compound becomes electrocuted, the result of this is that Jerry becomes like a giant magnet. What would be fatal in a video library of course would be a magnet. And as Be Kind Rewinds tapes are wiped by Jerry’s magnetism during Fletcher’s absence, Mike and Jerry are forced to go to desperate measures in order to replace the movies in the store. Rather than resulting to video piracy however, our duo decides to remake every lost film, casting themselves as the leading actors.

 

I’ll start my review on this movie by saying this is a movie that is rewarded with a second viewing. I sat open jawed at this movie first time round; I could not believe this was the movie that everyone was going mad about just a few months ago. This was the movie that The Guardians Jason Solomons claimed was the movie of the year; I really had to review the credibility of the movie critic. Having been appalled by the movie in an earlier viewing, I settled down again laptop in hand preparing to give the movie the ultimate slating. When it comes to Be Kind Rewind, in my case second time really was a charm.

 

Where the movie fell down for me first time round was due to the fact I was thinking too hard, Michel Gondry is effectively an art-house director delivering a comedy movie for the masses. Gondry is responsible for a variety of high brow music video’s as well as the weird Science Of Sleep and the critically acclaimed Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind. It’s this art-house look that litters the movie fully; it’s a little too literal in some respects for my liking. Second time round it’s that art-house addition that takes the movie in a better direction, I’m not going to say I laughed my socks off, but I’m happy to say I did laugh a couple of times.

 

Gondry has a wonderful eye, and a better brain to go with that eye. As well as correctly framing every single shot to gain its maximum potential, he also is thinking permanently ahead of the game. Every action has a counter action, though not necessarily felt at the moment it happens. As Mike and Jerry make a series of movies the way they create the special effects on a budget is amazing, and only someone like Gondry could deliver such a look.

 

Jack Black an actor I cannot stand, does a better performance than I have seen before but is still a little bit too loud for my liking, although his impersonation of Fats Waller at the arse end of the movie really made me laugh. Rapper Mos Def sparkles in the role of the slightly backwards Mike, if you have seen the movie 16 Blocks starring Def with Bruce Willis, you can expect to pretty much see a more in focus view of the same character. Danny Glover adds a little style and pizzazz to the piece, while Mia Farrow plays the manic depressed Miss Falewicz or as Jerry calls her Miss Falafel.

 

Sigourney Weaver is pretty much paid homage too, the first movie the characters remake or to use the preferred movie term SWEDE or SWEDED (the name given to express the exclusivity of the product they make which become desired items as the movie progresses), is Ghostbusters and having used a man to play her role, the actress turns up towards the back end of the movie as an authority figure.

 

There is a touch of realism about the movie, as more and more movies are made their popularity rises beyond all comprehension. People queue up to both rent the movies, which are made on demand, but also to star in them. As the internet has become more and more popular so in real life has the popularity of fan based movies and spoofs, youtube is filled with them and Gondry who also wrote the screenplay for the movie is fully aware of the popularity.

 

There is one element that lets things down for me, and it’s the whole Fats Waller element that bulks down the movies end, I found it quite annoying, tedious in fact. After an hour and twenty minutes of enjoyable viewing this was just far too heavy at the end of the movie, although the ultimate result is well delivered. The frequent Jazz music pieces too weigh heavy on the movie, and I believe this will cost the movie some of its younger audience.

 

Be Kind Rewind is still not in my mind the hysterical, fantastic movie that most claimed; however it was enjoyable and in some way rewarding, and having already watched it a second time I’d not rule out a third viewing in the near future.