Ryan McNeil
I try to go into any movie I watch with the intention that I will enjoy it. Of course, that’s a noble concept, since I’ve seen a good handful that I didn’t like. I seen some that I flat out hated, some that I didn’t even finish, and others that I’m sorry I did finish. The common thread for all of these movies was that little voice in the back of my head saying “Hell, I could have made a better movie than this!”. In BE KIND REWIND, That little voice steps up to the mic for all to hear what it has to say.
The story has heart, but is pretty simple. Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) owns a video store – a humble one where you won’t find a single DVD on the shelves. VHS only, and proud of it thank-you very much. When he leaves town for a while, he leaves the shop in the care of Mike (Mos Def), a young man he cares for like a son. Mike is friends with Jerry (Jack Black), a slobby doufus mechanic who lives just a bit too close an electrical field to be healthy.
An electrical mishap results in Jerry becoming temporarily magnetized (don’t ask), and his next visit to Mike at the video store proves to be an even bigger mishap when every magnetized moment he spends in the shop destroys more and more of the tapes. With replacement VHS tapes in short supply, and closing up shop not an option, Jerry suggests the next best thing – refilm the movies on Handi-Cam starring Mike and Jerry, and rent out those instead.
The results are as low-budget as you’d expect, and only twenty minutes long…but somehow, they become a hit. Soon there are line-ups out the door to request the Mike & Jerry “Sweeded” version of everything from RUSH HOUR 2 to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Unfortunately, their success faces two large obstacles. The first is the fact that their building has been condemned, and it’s only a matter of time before it gets ripped down. The second…well…you know those FBI warnings we all skip past when we watch a video or DVD? Turns out they’re pretty important.
The movie is the latest from the technicolor imagination of director Michel Gondry (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND). Gondry’s vision is playful, delightful, and warm. He strikes me as the sort of kid who drew with every colour in the crayon box, and hosted talk shows in his bedroom to an audience of stuffed animals. Every character in BE KIND REWIND finds true joy in watching movies – no matter how good or bad the movie actually is. I’ve never met the man, but I have a hunch that quality is very telling of Gondry himself.
If the movie has a flaw, it’s that the delightfulness of the story runs out quicker than you’d think. We watch virtually every moment of the Jerry/Mike redux of GHOSTBUSTERS. After that we get less and less of every movie, often only seeing one shot. On the one hand, I found myself really wanting to see more of their mad experiments, but all the same I had to wonder just how long it would take for the joke to stop being funny. (Sidebar – you can in fact see their handiwork online. Click here).
BE KIND REWIND reminded me that I may have become a bit too elitist. At first I scratched my head at why customers would want “Sweeded” versions of lightweights like SECONDHAND LIONS and BLUE STEEL. But before I could berate their lousy taste, I remembered the guffawed reactions I’ve received from my own DVD collection (…what?…doesn’t everyone love MAJOR LEAGUE??).
BE KIND REWIND reminded me that there are some people who want movies to be profound, thoughtful, and deeply memorable. There are just as many- maybe more -who just want to be entertained for two hours. It’s possible that this might be the sort of movie that can please both camps. If not, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before two schmoes with a Handi-Cam make a “sweeded” version.