Mos Def and Jack Black request, Be Kind Rewind (New Line Cinema)
By TONY GALINDO
Be Kind Rewind or be kind don't go? A movie written and directed Michel Gondry, Be Kind Rewind takes place in an old downtown New Jersey video store where two friends try to undo what one has done due to a freak and unrealistic accident.
We meet Jerry (Jack Black) and Mike (Mos Def), two friends asked to look after an old run down movie rental shop. The events leading up to the main story reveal that Jerry's crazy plan to take out a power plant's transformer failed, and he got electrocuted and magnetized. Not noticing what has happened to him, Jerry walks into the video store erasing all the tapes as he passes. Though all hope seems lost, Mike -- the man truly in charge of running the store while his boss is away -- comes up with a plan to remake all the movies. He believes that people will either not notice the difference or not notice that it's Jerry and Mike in the videos and not the real films they meant to rent. Be Kind Rewind was not as expected. Though it had many well-known actors, it could not maintain my attention or hold my interest through the story. Though some scenes were funny -- such as when they remade Ghostbusters or Rush Hour 2 -- it didn't seem to have all I thought it would. With actors such as Jack Black and Mos Def -- two very funny individuals, staring in favorites of mine such as School of Rock and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- I thought this film could have been better.
The story itself is what threw me off. We are put in what seems the present day, and these two are meant to look after a VHS rental store. Hello? Have you heard of DVDs? Though it shows that the neighborhood is going through tough times and looking for a makeover, it’s hard to believe not one person has a DVD player at their house. With so many plot holes, the story was hard to buy. Plus you're asked to believe a man can get magnetized and then erase all the tapes in a video store.
The script could have been better but at least the characters seemed somewhat believable in this situation. Don't get me wrong; I’m all for fantasy and how it's meant to entertain but this movie just overdoes it as a comedy. The jokes weren’t as great as I had hoped for. The trailer did a better job and was funnier then the movie.
Be Kind Rewind (rated PG-13 for some sexual references) was not exactly the film I had hoped to see. It did bore me somewhat and could have been better with a smarter plot or funnier writing. Not meaning to bash two actors that I like but all I can say is they just did what they do -- act silly and get paid to do it.
I would not recommend Be Kind Rewind . I could only really see this as a rental. This movie is definitely not what I would call best comedy of the year.
-- Tony Galindo is a senior at Mount Miguel high. He was recently accepted at the Art institute of San Diego where he wants to major in game art design and pursue a career in environmental design. Writing is a hobby of his as well as watching movies, so he thought it would be great to be able to share his opinions on film with people.
Check out an opposing Teen Critic's review of Be Kind Rewind .
