Be Kind Rewind: Reviewed

I just got done watching Michel Gondry's (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) newest film Be Kind Rewind (thanks Netflix!). It got some pretty awful reviews from a lot of people. However, I really enjoyed the film.

It stars Jack Black and Mos Def as they fill in for the absent owner (Danny Glover) of a VHS rental store in a neighborhood that, like the rental store, is in desperate need of updating. When Black's character's magntic conductivity (don't ask) erases all the VHS tapes, he and his compadre are forced to create self made, low budget remakes of the films for the few loyal customers the store has. Amazingly these customers actually enjoy the zaney, and at times hilarious, remakes to their big budgeted original films. (A commentary on how lame most big money Hollywood films are, no doubt.)

While the movie isn't perfect (the sub-plot is kinda lame & the ending is cheesy), I think it speaks volumes about the state of our communities and how they relate to art. The town in which the store resides is in shambles. The people have no sense of community and nothing that ties them together. The store's owner (and the town's people) cling to a tale tall about a former famous musician being born in their town as their only sense of ownership of the town. This all changes as Jack Black and Mos Def's characters begin to enlist the help of the community to create their films.

What happens is astonishing: the people begin to have a sense of community and ownership, which is brought on through the art of film making. I believe that this is the central theme of the movie. Art helps bring communities of people (from all different age, race, class, etc) together for a common purpose.

Check it out and let me know what you think.