Be Kind Rewind

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Year: 2008

Writer: Michel Gondry

Director: Michel Gondry

Budget: $20 million (estimated)

Gross: $8 933 178 (as of march 9th, 2008)

ahhhh, the title itself brings me back to my childhood and the vhs era.  alright, so this is gonna date me a bit, but i remember when the first video store opened up in my town and my parents would have to rent a vhs machine along with the vhs tapes since we didn't have one at home.  we got one not long after that though, and so began to grow exponentially with each video i rented (or had my parents rent for me) my love of movies.

Be Kind Rewind, the latest film from the wonderful michel gondry has that love of movie smell all over it and it will bring a smile to your face while you sniff it in. 

the film is about a small little vhs-only video store run by danny glover.  while he is out of town he leaves the store in the care of mos def, but his friend, jack black ends up erasing all the video tapes (i don't want to tell you how that happens, because it is quite and odd and funny series of events that leads up to it).  anyway, in order to fix things, the two guys decide to remake the movies themselves using an old camera and low-budget special effects.

not only is this film funny it is also really sweet without being corny and watching them remake all these movies and iconic scenes from them will wake up the film lover in you and make you smile like other movies and movies have (Cinema Paradiso perhaps).  walking out of the theater, my friends and i were all talking about the movies they had redone and which ones made us laugh the most and which 'special effects' were the coolest use of their minimal resources, etc...

gondry is known for his great visual style (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, The Science Of Sleep) and Be Kind Rewind is no exception.  the entire film feels like it is present day, but also about 15 years ago.  it all fits into the feel of the video store that is the center of the movie - a video store that only rents vhs tapes and does so for $1 each.

its like a little time warp within the present and it is definitely a trip worth taking.  im pretty sure the film will be forgotten by the end of the year (if not much sooner), but this is one that i wont forget anytime soon.

Comments

[Kris Zimmerman]

I completely agree with you on this movie...I was a bit worried that the slow pace in the beginning was going to do it in, but I was won over mid way through.The Sweded movies are hilarious...and yeah I would have paid for 2 hours of just that...but what is great about them is how the people making them get into it and the joy they get.I loved the sense of community in this film, the complete joy of life and optimism in the face of utter crap in your life, how they made their lives into what they wanted, how they inspired their neighborhood, gave them something to care about in this age of cynicism, and the transformative/inspirational power of art.I also liked the Fats Waller thread...almost as if jazz and it's improvisational nature tied in to the way that the guys put together the Swedes, and their lives.I think a lot of that was lost on the public looking for a zany comedy with Jack Black. Who was really good by the way...

--anyway, nice work on the podcast...I get a bunch of the episodes, but don't listen as regularly as I would like...I will keep tuning in, though...thanks!