"Be Kind Rewind" is the Perfect Saturday Movie

Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 41 min.
Release Date: February 22nd, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references.
Distributors: New Line Cinema

Directed by: Michel Gondry

JJ Rating: C+

Jerry (Jack Black) had an off the wall idea that he would sabotage a power plant. It had an adverse reaction with his body and caused him to become magnetic. He goes into the video store that Mike (Mos Def) was to be watching over and ended up erasing all the videos. They came up with a weird idea of re-filming them themselves. Be Kind Rewind.

I liked the over all idea for the film. I thought it was clever and quirky. I was excited to see Be Kind Rewind because of the trailers I've seen since last year. I like Mos Def and Jack Black. I think they make a funny duo. I also liked Melonie Diaz. She was the girl they needed so that Jerry would have someone to kiss. She held her own with Jack Black. It had its funny moments, especially when they started filming the different movies. They were amusing and very creative with what they used in the scenes. Everything came from the junkyard that Jerry worked in.

Be Kind Rewind failed because it was trying to find that happy medium of witty, quirky and heartwarming like Little Miss Sunshine minus the dark aspect. It did not find that balance and it fell by the end. I did not like the black and white scenes at the beginning. They were unnecessary clutter. It fitted more at the end when it was explained what they were about. Putting it at the beginning was just distracting and pointless.

It does have its moments of humor and it really wanted to have a nice neighborhood feeling at the end. It was setting itself up for that type of ending and it just did not work hard enough to accomplish it. It did not push hard enough to get that warm fuzzy feeling.

Be Kind Rewind is one of those movies that you are channel surfing and fall upon. You sit there and you watch it because you have NOTHING better to do with your day. By the time you realize you don't like it it's almost over so you watch it to the end. If you want to pay to see something like that, be my guest. But I rather have not paid to see a Saturday Afternoon Movie when I could eventually see it for free.