Posted on April 24, 2009 - by Amanda

Be Kind Rewind

A Guest Review from Ms Amy Brueggemann

Be Kind, Rewind (2008)

A movie about the magic that is the movies…

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The gist: Mike (Mos Def) works for Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) at the Be Kind Rewind movie rental store – where you can rent a VHS for one day, for one dollar.  When Mr. Fletcher leaves town to research ways in which he might revitalize his failing business, he puts Mike in charge, with the following instruction: do not allow Jerry (Jack Black), Mike’s conspiracy-theorist friend, in the building.  But Jerry does enter the building.  Magnetized.  And he erases every movie in the store.  In an attempt to stay out of trouble – and keep what little business they have left – Mike and Jerry decide to re-film the movies themselves.  With the help of Jerry’s mechanic, Wilson (Irv Gooch), and Alma (Melonie Diaz), a young girl from the local dry-cleaners, they make short clips of our most beloved movies.  In the end they become not only the stars of the shows, but their whole neighborhood as well.

My take: The first part of the movie moved so slowly, it was almost painful.  As I was sitting there – trying to make sense of it all – the thought did cross my mind that I could easily excuse myself and never return.  And that’s a pity.  Because the mid to end of the movie proved it could have been a classic film.  Of course, the fun begins once Jerry and Mike decide to “swede” – or film their own version of – the movies that have been erased.  Not only do the remakes provide a sense of nostalgia for anyone familiar with the movies being made, but anyone in the film business is sure to be reminded of his/her first attempt at making a film on a non-existent budget.  Needless to say, there are plenty of laughs in the middle of the movie.  But in the end, it’s all heart.  Though Michel Gondry (Writer/Director) could have given us a stronger opening, he still manages to give us a great movie about movies – reminding us that movies bring us together; and for a few brief moments, they allow us to forget the disappointment that may be lingering right outside the door…