Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind is an odd uneven film, but I kinda like it. This movie, despite what one might assume based on the actors, trailer, and plot summary, is not all that funny. There were multiple points (mostly towards the end) at which I thought, “I think this would be more interesting if it was actually funny". Clearly, I’m somewhat conflicted as I said that I kinda liked it. The movie runs through a lot of issues — gangs, poverty, ambition, copyright law vs transformative use, business morals, generational differences, stereotypes… I’m not kidding, it’s all in there, and the movie is billed as a comedy. I’m guessing that’s because to distract from all those issues, Jack Black wanders across the screen from time to time dressed in a tinfoil suit...it actually is pretty distracting. The plot finds a New Jersey man caught in a freak power plant accident and becomes magnetized and unwittingly erasing every tape in his friend's neighborhood video store, then they record over the tapes with condensed, low-tech reenacted versions of the movies and those start to become popular.

The idea of people remaking well known movies and renting them out is a fantastic idea andin this film the movie is at its best when they are doing just that. Jerry and Mike use fast talking, ingenuity and imagination to recreate some well known classics and it is an absolute pleasure watching them do so. They use props and costumes that they assemble made from junk that anyone could gather for themselves. The downside is that the story that held all of this together is quite weak. A lot of time is spent on the myth of a local Jazz Legend that really takes focus away from the story and adds an unnecessary mythos to the plot, mainly towards the latter end of the movie and its also why the movie isn't that funny. Mr. Fletcher , the owner of the store, is absent for much of the film, and to be honest his character adds nothing to the story. Like I said, I enjoyed this film, but it certainly had problems with its story. I would recommend this film because the cool parts are worth checking out and although I wasn’t busting a gut laughing – I did enjoy myself.