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Be Kind Rewind

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Be Kind Rewind (2008)

67%
61%
74%
N/A
N/A
N/A
67 %
Reviews Counted: 119 Fresh: 80  Rotten:39 Average Rating: 6.3/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

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... 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]

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

DVD Info

Release:

Jun 17, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case - O-Sleeve
  • Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Surround Sound 5.1
  • Stereo Surround 2.0

Additional Release Material:

  • Behind the Scenes
  • Featurette - "Passaic Mosaic," a tribute to the people and places of Passaic, New Jersey

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
3/5

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 | comment Comment
03/20/08
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
2/5

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 | comment 1 Comment
03/19/08
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

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 | comment Comment
03/16/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
1/4

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

Full Review | comment Comment
08/01/08
Christian Toto
Washington Times
Ratings Image
3/4

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

Full Review | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine
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3/5

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 | comment Comment
07/17/08
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina
Ratings Image
10/10

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

Full Review | comment Comment
07/11/08
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies
Ratings Image
3.5/4

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

Full Review | comment Comment
06/20/08
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com
Ratings Image
3/5

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 | comment Comment
06/09/08
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine
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N/A

Director Michel Gondry delivers the first great film of 2008.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/22/08
Richard Knight
Windy City Times
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2.5/4

'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 | comment 1 Comment
04/09/08
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner
Ratings Image
C+

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

Full Review | comment 2 Comments
03/26/08
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Ratings Image
N/A

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

Full Review | comment Comment
03/21/08
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
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B-

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/20/08
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth
Ratings Image
2/4

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

Full Review | comment 3 Comments
03/16/08
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
Ratings Image
2.5/4

quirky

Full Review | comment Comment
03/02/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is
Ratings Image
3/4

corny, cool and beautiful

Full Review | comment Comment
03/02/08
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly
Ratings Image
N/A

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/01/08
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
Ratings Image
.5/4

Let's not go to the videotape.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/01/08
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News
Ratings Image
6/10

Be Kind Rewind may be the least ambitious of Gondry's films but is also his most fun.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette
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(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
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(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
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(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
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(2008/Rated PG-13)-Michel Gondry's BE KIND REWIND starts slow, but last reel saves it
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