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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 fresh rating; 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

Will leave you with a huge grin on your face.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
02/22/08
Sun Online

Lots of heart. But it won't change your life.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
02/22/08
Little White Lies

It’s inviting, undemanding and altogether wonderful. You’ll want to see it again, or at least Swede it yourself.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
02/22/08
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Michel Gondry's latest cinematic breakthrough Be Kind Rewind grants passage into his magical imagination and proves yet again he's one of today's artistic giants.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
02/22/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

Innovative auteur Michel Gondry's latest curio is either boring or brilliantly boring.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
02/21/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

Such a far-fetched shaggy-dog yarn borders on the patronizing. But Gondry's belief in community-based, handmade, DIY culture is infectious, and his cry against big-box homogenization (fewer choices, more copies) is a noble one.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/21/08
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It may be full of madcap surrealism and clever-clever meta-cinematic touches, but it is also an unfashionably good-natured film with real heart. Oddball, endearing, and very, very funny...

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
02/16/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

Be Kind Rewind explores the meaning of originality, but it’s also a fable about art and social change.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
02/20/08
Armond White
Armond White
New York Press

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 brilliant little allegory

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
Filmcritic.com

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

Full Review Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette

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 Source: Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada) | comment Comment
03/01/08
Brian Gibson
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

The picture is a harmonious callback to low-fi filmmaking and community spirit, allowing Gondry a wide open meadow to let his viral creativity and mischievous determination frolic...It's endearing eye candy.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
DVDTalk.com

Eminently likable. And there's something about Gondry's persistent nostalgia that feels contemporary, or opportune, at least.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/22/08
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This cute comedy is a magnetic movie that will likely attract the arthouse audiences.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
02/22/08
Chad Greene
Chad Greene
Boxoffice Magazine

It's hard to tell which is the work of art, the audience or the movie. Because they are both so beautiful.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
02/22/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

A feel-good film with a gentle comic spirit, a sweet affection for its gallery of silly characters and a sincere love for the process of moviemaking.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
02/22/08
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Be Kind Rewind

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