Rewind and Rewind

Movie Review
Be Kind Rewind
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover

The movie started out a bit ho-hum when I watched it. A dying neighborhood; a pair of friends; an old VHS rental store owner, whose store is an old building where an old legendary Jazz player was born (a claim made by the store owner himself); and a plan to demolish and build new buildings. Put them together and you get yourself one of those we-have-to-do-something-to-save- movie. Pretty formulaic, isn't it?

However, things got interesting when Jerry (Jack Black) accidentally wiped out all the VHS in the rental store thanks to his body's magnetic field. If you really have to ask why, well, you have to see the movie yourself. Let's just say that it involves an electrical power plant and a sabotage plan gone wonderfully wrong. Mike (Mos Def), realizing that he has to help Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) revive his dying business (and help correct things after Jerry's little accident), came up with a plan to re-record their own version of the movies. Jerry and Mike, armed with an old video recorder (VHS, mind you), set out to create their own home made videos. Little did they know that their 'sweded' version would garner a lot of followings (yeah, formulaic I know).

You gotta love the ideas they came up with! All the tools and special effects were home-made and a bit crappy, but you can't deny the charm they exude. And the 'sweded' version of Ghostbusters is simply adorable. Look out for the movie "Fats Waller" as well.

Great acting all around by Black, Mos Def, and Glover (special mention as well to Melonie Diaz who played Alma, a not-so-aspiring actress who got dragged into the whole mess). Black's charm is all over the place, and Mos Def's Mike perfectly complements the loud character of Black's Jerry. Ultimately, however, the movie's all about the joy of making movies. Once again, I could not say enough about the ideas they come up with while shooting the 'sweded' version. For people who appreciate and love the art of making movies, don't miss out on this one. And for those who love indie, don't hesitate to grab this one. It's got the feel of indie movie all over the place.