Be Kind Rewind
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring:
Jack Black - Jerry
Mos Def - Mike
Danny Glover - Elroy Fletcher
Mia Farrow - Miss Falewicz
Melonie Diaz - Alma
In 1954, the film critics and future-directors of Cahiers du cinéma (a group which included now legendary geniuses François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard) came up with the "auteur theory" which posited that the director of a film is its author. This is a theory they would later note as ridiculous and rightly so as film, more than almost any other art form, tends to be a collaborative medium. And yet, there are directors who have such a unique look and voice that they are a credit to the theory. Michel Gondry is one such director and is the visual heir to Georges Méliès (one of the first filmmakers). This makes Be Kind Rewind, a film about the communal effort in storytelling and yet visually embraces Gondry's singular style, a paradoxically fascinating picture.
Through a labored and contrived first act, Jerry (Jack Black) accidentally becomes magnetized and ends up accidentally erasing every VHS tape in Mike's (Mos Def) store, Be Kind Rewind. Under a deadline to deliver a copy of Ghostbusters before a patron (Mia Farrow) can report the disaster to Mike's boss Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), Jerry and Mike decide to just film their own version of Ghostbusters. It's only twenty minutes but it's highly entertaining and it's in the "sweding" of famous films that Be Kind finally finds its energy. But more impressive is in the third act twist that forces the film to go beyond its lovable gimmick and come to a thoughtful and heartwarming point that Be Kind Rewind becomes the best movie about the love of moviemaking since Preston Sturges' 1941 film Sullivan's Travels.
Be Kind Rewind is the heir to Gondry's 2005 film, Dave Chappelle's Block Party where he emphasizes the power of community and its relation to art. It's a beautiful notion that's both true and uplifting. Too often, Hollywood narrative emphasizes the individual rather than the community, which naturally comes out of America's emphasis on the individual. But the other side of this sword is that Be Kind Rewind lacks developed characters. It even lacks much of a plot as the story mirrors the slap-dash nature of Mike and Jerry's films. But it all works together to create a love letter to the love of filmmaking and anyone who loves and understands the collaborative nature of movies should leave Be Kind Rewind with a big smile on their face.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
2.22.08