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 Rated: PG-13
Starring: Jack Black, Danny Glover, Dante 'Mos Def' Smith, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz
Directed by: Michel Gondry
If you would like to see one good, offbeat comedy this year,
and you like the humor of Jack Black, don"t miss Be Kind Rewind. I found it hilarious, silly, corny, yet
sometimes very touching. The film
reminded me of the Laurel and Hardy flicks of days gone by.
The movie centers on Jerry (Black), a down-and-out guy who
accidentally gets his brain magnetized when he tries to sabotage a power plant
that he thinks is giving him a headache.
On the same day, his friend Mike (Def) has been given charge of the BE
KIND REWIND video store when it’s owner Mr. Fletcher (Glover) takes an out of town
trip.
When Jerry goes into the shop to
visit Mike he inadvertently wipes all the tapes clean with his ‘magnetic power'. Trying to get his friend out of trouble, Jerry
makes a movie-making pact with Mike to remake some of the titles so they can
keep the business going. When the tapes
start to become popular, Jerry and Mike start thinking big.
Jack Black does Jack Black in Be
Kind Rewind. If you’ve seen any of
Black’s work, Nacho Libre or The School of Rock for example, you
will know what I mean. His form of
comedy is original and fun to watch. He’s on top of his game as Jerry, the
harebrained schemer, who turns the video shop ‘upside down'. His amusing interpretation of Robocop
in this film is a great example of his awesome comedic talent.
The casting of Mos Def as Black’s
sidekick provides great humorous support.
His dim-witted Mike complements Black’s wacky Jerry as they ‘re-make’ Ghostbusters,
Rush Hour 2, When We Were Kings and other classics.
Although I liked the film a lot, Be
Kind Rewind is not for everyone. You
have to like the silliness and whimsical comedy of Black and Def. If you are not into their Dumb And
Dumber style of slapstick you may find yourself a little uninterested in
the simple plot.
If you have heard of Fats Waller, one of the
greatest jazz pianists of all time, you’ll probably think that this was homage
for his work, and you’d probably be right.
See the film for the comedy, the simple story of a man with a big heart,
and some change-of-pace entertainment.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Be
Kind Rewind is an amusing treat for Jack Black fans, and those who like their
comedy very silly.
This Reviewer's Rating:   3 / 5
Oh, and ACTUALLY, the movie centers on Mos Def's character. His surrogate father's business is what's at stake here. Jerry's mistake becomes his problem to fix, and Mos Def carries the lead role he was given with better skills then I'd previously given him credit for. I'd call Jack Black more of a side kick in this one. I just saw this and quite liked it, actually. I'd add another half a star.  |
