1. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
‘BE KIND’ IS A WRY HOMAGE TO '90S
SNAPPY BANTER PUNCTUATES PERFORMANCES OF
JACK BLACK AND MOS DEF
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Section: FAITH
Edition: ONE-THREE
Page: 6E
Type: REVIEW
KIMBERLY SUMMERS, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Column: KIMBERLY SUMMERS - TEEN SCREENS
Illustration: PHOTO
Caption: NEW LINE CINEMA PHOTO VIA AP. Melonie Diaz stars as Alma (left), Jack Black
stars as Jerry and Mos Def stars as Mike (right) in the New Line Cinema film "Be Kind Rewind."
"Be Kind Rewind" greets those of us who have an obsession with the '90s with open arms. When I
first set eyes on the oversized VHS plastered on the movie's poster, memories were thrust upon me
as if I were a regular on VH1's "I Love the 90's": Barney was my hero, the Macarena was
contagious, the Spice Girls were the "It Girls." I knew this movie would take me back, but little did I
know I'd be taken back to the days of "Robocop."
Be Kind Rewind is a video store in need of a major upgrade from VHS (those big, black cassettes,
for those who sadly lacked this necessary equipment) to the hip DVD. The owner (Danny Glover)
leaves his store in the hands of Mike (Mos Def), with the caveat that he keep out Mike's pal, Jerry
(Jack Black).
When Jerry makes a failed attempt to stop a power plant from causing his recurring headaches, he
nearly gets electrocuted; now his magnetized brain erases all the store's videos. No matter how
chimerical and outlandish this plot may seem, director Michel Gondry mixes dry humor with canny
wackiness to produce an overall funny movie.
Mike becomes even more distraught when Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) arrives to rent
"Ghostbusters" and draws a blank. Jerry and Mike promise her "Ghostbusters" the next day in a
"sweded" version - defined as "remaking something from scratch, using whatever you can get your
hands on." Ironically, "Be Kind Rewind" itself seems "sweded," but with enough creativity to make
an imaginative kid wonder why he played with that darned mud when he could have been
"sweding" movies.
The chemistry betwixt Mos Def and Jack Black gives the movie the feel of a home video (on VHS,
of course). Black was predictably funny, and Mos Def added quirky one-liners and a deft sense of
humor. Farrow, Glover and Sigourney Weaver contributed equal enthusiasm.
The banter isn't for those who must think for a while before understanding a joke. My math teacher
tries to make calculus fun with his persiflage; he'll tell a witty joke and awkwardly hear a kid stifle
a laugh in the back of the room 10 minutes later. If you're that kid, this isn't for you.

2. The beginning seems slow and hidebound, as if the director tried to get the background information
out of the way. But the spoofs, including "Driving Miss Daisy," "Boyz 'N the Hood," "The Lion
King" and others, are sure to cause laughs when Jerry and Mike give their takes on classics.
These caricatures make this a decent movie to watch. But "Be Kind Rewind" and play back again?
Maybe not so much.
"Be Kind Rewind" is rated PG-13 for sexual references.