Dear Reader, I Have Let You Down
I realize that it has been over two weeks since my last post, and I apologize. I do not have an excuse or reason that is acceptable by any means. In my absence, I have seen a few things I’ll pontificate on presently.
Today I’m going to talk a bit about Be Kind Rewind.
I realize that this is a movie that a lot people will either not like, or will just have lukewarm feelings. Personally, I loved it.
You probably know the basic story, Jack Black gets magnetized and erases all the tapes in a small mom&pop style video store. He and the stores’ employee, Mos Def grab a video camera and make their own no-budget versions of the erased movies. The local townsfolk really like what they see and the two become a bit of a local sensation. That’s the basic premise and pretty much what the trailers gave you. That is also, I would guess, approximately 25% of what the movie is really about.
Jack Black and Mos Def give what are two of my favorite performances in each of their careers. Mos Def comes across as a fairly dumb individual, almost semi-retarded in a way. Jack Black is the slightly pathetic, probably smelly, guy that always seems to be hanging around ….hell, anywhere…. that you don’t necessarily like being around but he can entertain and make you laugh so you put up with him anyway. As a team, you see a very unique and strange chemistry onscreen.
The surprise of the film is that it is more or less a testament, or tribute, to independent filmmaking and even practical special effects. Michel Gondry, the director, is known for not using CGI to enhance his features (he directed in Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Human Nature and a whole bunch of music videos using all practical effects) and a lot of the last half of the film is spent showing a lot of love and appreciation for this art. Some may find it a bit preachy and overbearing, but since it is a subject that I am very interested in and have pretty strong feelings for, I found it great. I guess it’s the same line of thinking as to why ___________s don’t mind going to ___________. (Insert the religion and place of worship of your choice in the above blanks)
You might find it overly sentimental when the whole town gets behind the duos’ films in a fairly unrealistic and fairytale-ending-like way. To me, the sight of hundreds of non-hardcore movie watchers getting behind and cheering for true, real independent cinema is a wonderful thing.
Steve!!
evilreeves@gmail.com