Rating of
3/4
Be kind to yourself: don't expect too much
kcvidkid - wrote on 07/01/08
Oh, how I wanted "Be Kind Rewind" to be my favorite movie ever. Never has a concept so closely matched my background and interests. I guess there was really no way for me to NOT be disappointed.
The plot takes too long to set-up, when I wish it had dispensed with all logical explanation and gotten into the silliness faster. I don't really care WHY Jack Black and Mos Def have to recreate famous movies when the inventory of a video store is destroyed; I just want to see them do it. The set-up is overly contrived: it could have been something as simple as a fire, but no, there is an elaborate mishap that seems to take up half the movie.
I shouldn't fault the movie for trying to be more than it really is, and it does have an awfully sweet wrap-up. I guess the ultimate tone just doesn't fit the concept? It's neither too "out there" for writer/director Michael Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), nor too safe for a "regular" comedy. The odd mixture, while somewhat enjoyable, left me wanting more.
