A silly buddy comedy about two video store clerks who mistakenly erase all of the VHS tapes and have to create their own versions, Be Kind Rewind has both heart and creativity.
If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, VHS rental stores were all the rage. I remember my father giving me a little money and a loyalty card, and letting me and my brother go to the store on the corner to pick out whatever movie we wanted. It was a cool thing to do. And at that time, who would have ever imagined that streaming would become available?
Be Kind Rewind is about Mike and Jerry, two employees who work at the VHS rental store of Mr. Fletcher. His building has been marked for demolition unless he can upgrade the building, but the business is in a lower income neighborhood and they make very little money. When Mr. Fletcher goes away on a trip, Jerry accidentally erases the content on every video tape in the store. So as not to get caught, Mike and Jerry decide to reenact and tape different movies to rent out to customers (later known as “sweding”).
For starters, “be kind rewind” was a staple saying at every video store that you actually rented from. It was rude to turn in your VHS tape at the point where the credits were rolling, and everyone asked that you rewind the tape for the next person. Therefore, it’s the perfect name for Mr. Fletcher’s video store.
My first thought when this movie began was, “when was this filmed??” This is a 2008 movie about a VHS rental store, and I had to triple check, because by 2008, everyone was at least using DVDs or blu-rays. But it fits the narrative here.
While it takes a little while to warm up to this film (at least for me), the highlights are in the recreations of the movies. Beginning with Ghostbusters (complete with slime and proton streams made out of formed tinsel), they remake tons of movies, including Driving Miss Daisy, Rush Hour 2, and Do The Right Thing. Some of these takes are so clever that you almost wish that this was the entire film. I can only imagine how much fun they had on set.
Jack Black and Mos Def are very funny as Jerry and Mike, and Danny Glover is a sweet Mr. Fletcher. I am guessing that many of the film creations are cut from Jack Black riffing and improving, which is part of what makes this movie so entertaining. There is also a nod to Ghostbusters with an actor cameo that I won’t give away, but it was incredibly welcome and brought a knowing smile.
There isn’t a lot of depth to this film, but that does change in the last 5 minutes. Everything comes together, and although the ending is open-ended, it satisfies the heartstrings. Overall, Be Kind Rewind is a lighthearted romp, but you will enjoy it even more if you are a movie buff.
Runtime: 102 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, VHS rental stores were all the rage. I remember my father giving me a little money and a loyalty card, and letting me and my brother go to the store on the corner to pick out whatever movie we wanted. It was a cool thing to do. And at that time, who would have ever imagined that streaming would become available?
