Be Kind Rewind

I don't miss the VHS format. Hitting the tracking button, the way you could see a tape dying just a little bit more with each viewing, and of course, the rewinding. I love DVD but gosh darn it, Michel Gondry is nostalgic for those old tapes and he's made a film to show us why.
"Be Kind Rewind" is the story of a little video store in Passaic, New Jersey that still only rents out VHS. The store's owner, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover, taking a break from hanging out with his communist dictator pals) is going out of town for a week and leaving his young associate Mike (Mos Def) in charge. Mr. Fletcher really should have nothing to worry about. After all the place doesn't exactly get inundated with customers. West Coast Video (clearly Blockbuster) across the street is well stocked with plenty of copies of the latest DVD releases. As Mr. Fletcher leaves town he frantically tries to give Mike an important message: to keep his eccentric best friend Jerry (Jack Black) out of the store.
One night after the store is closed Jerry convinces Mike to join him in an attempt to disrupt the local electrical power grid, which Jerry feels is doing things to his mind. Fed up with Jerry's shenanigans Mike leaves in the middle of the mission and Jerry is electrocuted. The next morning a dazed Jerry heads into the store and browses through every tape. The following day two customers (it's amazing the store has even that many) complain that the tapes they rented have been erased. A magnetized Jerry has ruined the store's entire stock. The one regular, Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) wants to rent "Ghostbusters." Mike awkwardly tries to explain that he can't rent out the copy right now but she insists that when she comes back in a few hours, she had better be able to rent it. Not wanting to let down the only loyal customer the store has, or Mr. Fletcher, Mike comes up with a solution. Armed with a video camera he tells Jerry, "I'm Bill Murray, you're everyone else."
They spend the remainder of the afternoon shooting their own 20 minute long version of "Ghostbusters," reconstructing the film's highlights from memory. What starts out as a desperate experiment soon turns Mike and Jerry into local celebrities and turns the little store into a success. But the FBI warning, well it turns out they really mean that.
Michel Gondry is an incredibly talented director, as evidenced by the incredible "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." His follow-up feature, "The Science of Sleep" while pretty good, suffers from the same problem "Be Kind" does. Gondry's talents lie behind the camera, not as a screenwriter. "Eternal Sunshine" worked because it married his innovative visual style with Charlie Kaufman's brilliant dialogue and character development. Gondry's concepts are interesting but his dialogue lacks punch. Like "Science," "Be Kind" is a pretty good film that could have been great. It's at its best when we're seeing bits of Mike and Jerry's remakes (or "Sweded versions" as they call them), particularly of "Ghostbusters" and "Rush Hour 2." This is also when Black and Def get a chance to shine. Like most everything else in this movie, their performances are likable but only really special for a few moments at a time.
Glover turns in a pretty good performance, atoning slightly for his schlocky work in "Shooter." The rest of the supporting cast isn't really that memorable. It's hard to believe that this is the same Mia Farrow from "Hannah and Her Sisters" and relatively new Melonie Diaz is no great shakes as the recruited all-purpose actress.
Despite its notable flaws I still enjoyed "Be Kind Rewind" simply because it's a film with true heart. The "Sweded" remakes must look like the films a young Gondry made 20 years ago in his own neighborhood. The message of the value of community and the way that film can bring people together is delivered in a bit of a corny way, but it's clear that Gondry really means it.
This is the first 2008 release I've gone to because well, when "Untraceable" looks to be a better option than most everything else that has come out, we are indeed in a bad place movie wise. And I was not about to pay $9 for "Untraceable." But the movie year is young yet and while I don't expect '08 to deliver nearly as many great films as 2007 I'm sure that there will be some terrific movies in the year ahead.
I recommend "Be Kind Rewind," but I'd say your best bet is a matinee or just wait for it to come out on ta- er, DVD. 7/10.