REVIEW - Be Kind Rewind

This is going to be a short review, because quite frankly the film isn't worth the time.

Not that it's a horrible film or anything. It's certainly got a great idea and it's very cute and the ingenious refilming of movies is funny and all, but it just seems like a good idea that never fully develops from the pitch stage.

Jack Black and Mos Def try their hardest to keep this thing afloat, but there's very little substance to the film. And when I say Jack Black tries hard...I mean, the guy just overacts like there's no tomorrow. It's a bit much, really. Mia Farrow is kind of funny as an old lady. Danny Glover is kind of a nonentity even though he's in a lot of the film. Sigourney Weaver apparently stopped by on the set one day and Michel Gondry threw her into the film, I guess. I mean, what's up with Sigourney Weaver being in the movie for ONE SMALL SCENE? And it's too smart of a film to have her show up in a "sweded" version of Ghostbusters or Alien or (dare I imagine it) Galaxy Quest, so nevermind your fanboy wishes.

The characters aren't so much characters as they are cliches of elements of characters. Mos Def is introverted. Jack Black is insane. Mia Farrow is batty. Et cetera. By the end of the film, yeah, you've brought the neighborhood together, but little is accomplished characterwise. There are no arcs here, it's just Jack Black botching the Ghostbusters theme and dressing up like Robocop (which is probably the funniest thing in the film).

So many films are overcooked by studio involvement, but Be Kind Rewind is the rare instance where they might have kept it in the oven just a bit longer. If you're interested, watch the trailer again. It's all the best parts at once.