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.
Comment
03/20/08
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
67 %
Reviews Counted: 119 Fresh: 80 Rotten:39 Average Rating: 6.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Theatrical Release: Feb 22, 2008 Wide
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: trouble-making Jerry (Jack Black) and well-meaning Mike (Mos Def). Mike works in a video... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz
Director: Michel Gondry
Producer: Michel Gondry, Julie Fong, Georges Bermann
Composer: Jean Michel Bernard
Producer: Michel Gondry, Julie Fong, Georges Bermann
Composer: Jean Michel Bernard
Reviews
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.
03/19/08
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.
03/16/08
Top Critic
Once the movie starts finding its focus it becomes a very unique experience
07/22/08
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.
07/17/08
An ode to finding one's creative side and the joys of being able to share one's creations with others.
07/11/08
Tackles the hackneyed with the tender hand and heart of writer/director Michel Gondry.
06/20/08
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.
06/09/08
'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.
04/09/08
It's central message is that filmmakers are wonderful people, which is pretty much what you would expect filmmakers to say.
03/26/08
The process of Sweding soon becomes a community project, another glance back and ahead at the same time.
03/21/08
Ultimately trades in schmaltz of the unearned kind, laying it on so thick in the final act that it effectively smothers out the underdog virtues of its all-too endearing protagonists.
03/20/08
The premise of Be Kind Rewind is pure Michel Gondry. The end result is anything but.
03/16/08
The community-produced version of Fats Waller's story leads to a block film party in what may be the most touching ending of Gondry's films.
03/01/08
Be Kind Rewind may be the least ambitious of Gondry's films but is also his most fun.
02/28/08
Related Forums
(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/26
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