Be Kind Rewind

Yesterday I saw Be Kind Rewind, starring Jack Black and Mos Def and directed by Michel Gondry. I suspected that the movie would be good because I love Jack Black and Mos Def, plus there is always a really magical quality to Gondry's films. Like most of his movies, this film was sentimental, funny and enchanting.

The premise of the movie is that Jack Black's character, Jerry, gets magnetized by this power plant and accidentally erases all the tapes in the store. To cover their tracks, Jerry and Mike (Mos Def's character who is left in charge of the store while the owner takes a trip) film 20 minute versions of movies that one or two customers request - Ghost Busters and then Rush Hour 2. Jerry and Mike film it on an old VHS camcorder and star in it themselves. There is never any editing - they shoot it shot by shot. These two films become big hits in the neighborhood, and soon they have people from all over practically knocking down their door to put in their requests for films to be "Sweded" (meaning remade by Jerry and Mike - you'll have to see the movie to get that reference).

While their success seems to come a little too quickly in real world terms, the remakes of the movies are hilarious and actually quite resourceful. I was very impressed with some of their low-budget filmmaking solutions. Of course, it helped that Jerry lived in a junkyard, so they had all sorts of stuff available to them for free that most normal people wouldn't have.

Overall, the movie is quite funny and heartwarming. I would say the ending is a little too cheesy for my tastes, but it's definitely a feel-good movie. And I appreciate that Gondry doesn't seem to be one of those filmmakers who think movies have to be dark and depressing in order to be considered art - which, in a way, is part of the overall message of this film, as conveyed by Mike and Jerry's silly remakes that "have a lot of heart." So go see it. It comes out on Friday.

P.S. There is a lunar eclipse tonight, peeking around 9:26pm, so keep an eye out!

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