‘Be Kind, Rewind,’ takes audience back to time of VHS tape rentals
Comedic duo Black and Def bring laughs from rental store to big screen in new movie
Posted on February 25, 2008
Remember the days when everybody rented and watched VHS tapes? It was the first real option we had in home-movie entertainment. The only place to find them now is in yard sales or buried under a stack of old magazines in the attic. “Be Kind, Rewind” takes audiences back to those days and really shows us how special the VHS tapes and movies in general were to all of us.
Mr. Fletcher (played by Danny Glover, “Lethal Weapon”) owns a small movie rental shop properly named Be Kind, Rewind. When he goes on a trip he leaves Mike (played by Mos Def, “16 Blocks”) in charge of the store. There’s only one condition: don’t let Jerry (played by Jack Black, “Nacho Libre”) come into the store. Jerry is Mike’s crazy friend who owns a body shop down the street and thinks a power plant is controlling his mind. When a sabotage mission against the power plant goes terribly wrong, Jerry becomes temporarily magnetized. Trying to help his friend, Mike lets Jerry into the store, which then leads to the unintentional destruction of all the tapes. Before Mr. Fletcher returns from his trip, Mike and Jerry have to go back and reshoot all the movies again themselves.
The first thing you notice when watching this film is just how well Black and Def work together. The back-and-forth style of comedy works wonders in this movie and is the reason for its success. Screen legend Mia Farrow (“The Omen”) and fan favorite Glover bring great acting and warmth to the movie.
The other great thing is the overall story. Although slightly goofy and a little over the top, this movie really shows us why we love movies. It has creativity, emotional ups-and-downs and great character development and interaction. It’s a movie about the nature of the film business itself. People need movies. It’s as simple as that.
“Be Kind, Rewind” is filled with humor, but it also has heart. The ending speaks on all levels. It makes you glad to be a moviegoer, and that this awesome form of entertainment is just down the street at your local theater, or a click away on your DVD players.
