The town of Passaic, NJ holds a slice of history as the birthplace of jazz pioneer / legend Fats Waller, but everything else about the town is falling apart. The local video store (which only offers VHS tapes) is in trouble. The owner, Mr. Fletcher (Glover) must bring the store up to date, or risk losing it. To work on fixing the problems, he leaves the shop in the hands of his only employee Mike (Def) and does reconnaissance at a DVD store. His only instructions to Mike are to keep the local loony Jerry (Black), who is Mike's best friend, out of the store. Jerry is convinced the electric company is trying to control his mind, and plans sabotage, which goes zanily wrong...and a magnetized Jerry erases all of the tapes in the store.
When Miss Falewicz (Farrow), a good friend of Mr. Fletcher, wants to take "Ghostbusters" and threatens to tell Mr. Fletcher about the problems at the store Mike and Jerry make a 20 minute version of the film for her to see, complete with a new theme song and some slime. Word spreads and soon they are getting more customers and more requests for their sweded films (the remakes). To keep up they add Alma (Diaz) from the dry cleaners as leading lady and part of the creative team. The films are a success, and involve various members of the community. When Mr. Fletcher returns, the sweded films are a success, and are made into DVDs to help update the store. Will the films save the store?
Watching this film, I wanted to go out and make movies like I did with my friends in high school (we made 2 films in German about fairy tales, which were a blast to make, and remain funny now). But nostalgia aside, this was an interesting film. I enjoy watching well-made remakes or spoofs, picking out the things that were changed and the reasons they were changed. Although I did not see all of the films that were sweded in the film, it was still funny. Their "Ghostbusters," the only swede film that is focuses on...the rest only appear briefly, was funny. They kept aspects of the original film, such as the library scene, while injecting their own spontaneity on the story. The additions and "special effects" make the film even funnier. While at heart they want to keep the films close the original, they do occasionally add dialogue (the funniest is "The Lion King") since these aren't supposed to be the same as the original, just similar.
The films aside, there is too much going on in the story. The main plot is about saving the store, but there are too many subplots and the whole film changes tone after an actor from "Ghostbusters" appears (no spoilers here). Mr. Fletcher's subplot is unnecessary and too long, and the ending to the film, while satisfying, doesn't answer several questions. The relationship between Jerry and Mike works, and keeps they keep the film from sinking. Enjoyable, but not reaching it's potential.
Dude, it's quotable: Jack Black has some good lines and manages to control the crazy. I wish we saw a little more of the films.
Rent it: it isn't available on VHS, but that is o.k.
Be Kind Rewind (2008) 102 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references
Director: Michael Gondry
Starring: Jack Black as Jerry
Mos Def as Mike
Danny Glover as Elroy Fletcher
Mia Farrow as Miss Falewicz
Melonie Diaz as Alma
When Miss Falewicz (Farrow), a good friend of Mr. Fletcher, wants to take "Ghostbusters" and threatens to tell Mr. Fletcher about the problems at the store Mike and Jerry make a 20 minute version of the film for her to see, complete with a new theme song and some slime. Word spreads and soon they are getting more customers and more requests for their sweded films (the remakes). To keep up they add Alma (Diaz) from the dry cleaners as leading lady and part of the creative team. The films are a success, and involve various members of the community. When Mr. Fletcher returns, the sweded films are a success, and are made into DVDs to help update the store. Will the films save the store?
Watching this film, I wanted to go out and make movies like I did with my friends in high school (we made 2 films in German about fairy tales, which were a blast to make, and remain funny now). But nostalgia aside, this was an interesting film. I enjoy watching well-made remakes or spoofs, picking out the things that were changed and the reasons they were changed. Although I did not see all of the films that were sweded in the film, it was still funny. Their "Ghostbusters," the only swede film that is focuses on...the rest only appear briefly, was funny. They kept aspects of the original film, such as the library scene, while injecting their own spontaneity on the story. The additions and "special effects" make the film even funnier. While at heart they want to keep the films close the original, they do occasionally add dialogue (the funniest is "The Lion King") since these aren't supposed to be the same as the original, just similar.
The films aside, there is too much going on in the story. The main plot is about saving the store, but there are too many subplots and the whole film changes tone after an actor from "Ghostbusters" appears (no spoilers here). Mr. Fletcher's subplot is unnecessary and too long, and the ending to the film, while satisfying, doesn't answer several questions. The relationship between Jerry and Mike works, and keeps they keep the film from sinking. Enjoyable, but not reaching it's potential.
Dude, it's quotable: Jack Black has some good lines and manages to control the crazy. I wish we saw a little more of the films.
Rent it: it isn't available on VHS, but that is o.k.
Be Kind Rewind (2008) 102 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references
Director: Michael Gondry
Starring: Jack Black as Jerry
Mos Def as Mike
Danny Glover as Elroy Fletcher
Mia Farrow as Miss Falewicz
Melonie Diaz as Alma
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