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Movies / On DVD / Be Kind Rewind
Be Kind Rewind

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Be Kind Rewind (2008)

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Reviews Counted:124

Fresh:81

Rotten:43

Average Rating:6.3/10

Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Mild coarse language and sexual references

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Comedies

Australian Theatrical Release:
Mar 20, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $11,028,439

Synopsis: Music-video-director-turned-auteur Michel Gondry continues to charm with his low-tech offering, BE KIND REWIND. Set in dreary Passaic, New Jersey, the comedy centers on two of the town's residents:... Music-video-director-turned-auteur Michel Gondry continues to charm with his low-tech offering, BE KIND REWIND. Set in dreary Passaic, New Jersey, the comedy centers on two of the town's residents: trouble-making Jerry (Jack Black) and well-meaning Mike (Mos Def). Mike works in a video store in an age where the VHS is long dead, but the store's owner, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), doesn't seem to be in any hurry to change. When Mr. Fletcher leaves town for a trip, he entrusts his store to Mike with one piece of advice: don't let Jerry in the store. But after some mischief, Jerry returns to the store in a strange state. Not only is he weirder than usual, but he's also magnetized, which causes the entire store's stock to be erased. In order to keep the struggling business afloat, Mike and Jerry begin remaking the films in the store one by one. Their hilariously low-budget versions of films such as GHOSTBUSTERS and RUSH HOUR 2 soon begin to draw attention and business to the store, but that creates a whole new set of problems for the pair. Though Gondry's three previous fiction films--HUMAN NATURE, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP--were all essentially love stories, BE KIND REWIND captures another kind of romance. Both the writer-director and his characters are in love with the cinematic medium itself, and their devotion shows. BE KIND REWIND doesn't reach the heights of ETERNAL SUNSHINE, but it doesn't seem to be aiming for that genius. This is simply a hilarious comedy, fun for film fans of all stripes, which celebrates the sheer joy of watching and making films. [More]

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, Chandler Parker, Irv Gooch, Arjay Smith, Marcus Carl Franklin

Director: Michel Gondry

Director: Michel Gondry
Producer: Michel Gondry, Julie Fong, Georges Bermann
Composer: Jean Michel Bernard
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for Be Kind Rewind

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The remake/parody sequences are outstanding, but Black’s all-over-the-place mania and Mos Def’s bland orphan hero don’t quite tie the rest of the picture together. Still, it has heart.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment Comment
03/20/08
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

And the film ought to be funny, with Mike and Jerry recreating those films as home movies. But somehow it’s not, the laughs are very thin on the ground.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment 2 Comments
03/19/08
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Brilliant ideas dance on the high side of Creative Street, but Michel Gondry's outlandish premise doesn't stretch far enough to go the distance.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/16/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What a foul junkyard of Quirk it is!

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/27/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

A glowing valentine to creativity in opposition to commerce.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/07/09
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Sua natureza auto-referencial transforma o filme numa grande homenagem ao próprio cinema.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
12/11/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Be Kind Rewind should gather dust on both DVD and VHS shelves.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment 2 Comments
08/01/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

Once the movie starts finding its focus it becomes a very unique experience

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

A surprisingly quiet and whimsical comedy about a ridiculous and unlikely series of events that turns into a nearly-as-likely miracle. Best bit: the film's own Sweded preview.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
07/17/08
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

An ode to finding one's creative side and the joys of being able to share one's creations with others.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
07/11/08
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Tackles the hackneyed with the tender hand and heart of writer/director Michel Gondry.

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
06/20/08
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

But with a skill that is difficult to pinpoint, Gondry seems to stumble like a fox from this paper-thin plot into a precious little ode to community.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
06/09/08
Robert Davis
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine

Director Michel Gondry delivers the first great film of 2008.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
05/22/08
Richard Knight
Richard Knight
Windy City Times

'Be Kind Rewind' is a whimsical adventure with genuine affection for its characters, but Gondry's story is essentially weightless, a fanciful flight in search of a raison d'etre.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment 2 Comments
04/09/08
Rossiter Drake
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner

It's central message is that filmmakers are wonderful people, which is pretty much what you would expect filmmakers to say.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment 2 Comments
03/26/08
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

The process of Sweding soon becomes a community project, another glance back and ahead at the same time.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
03/21/08
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Ultimately trades in schmaltz of the unearned kind.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
03/20/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

The premise of Be Kind Rewind is pure Michel Gondry. The end result is anything but.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment 3 Comments
03/16/08
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

quirky

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
03/02/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

corny, cool and beautiful

Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
03/02/08
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for Be Kind Rewind

June 25, 2008: A people's cinema rough cut heart so squarely in the right place over in Passaic as opposed to Hollywood, that it's pretty much hard to resist. Opens in new window
More...

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