"Be Kind Rewind" not as funny as could have been

Two guys accidentally erase all the movies in their video store and have to make up their own versions of the films to pass off to customers, to keep the store in business. What might have been a comic gem - with Jack Black headlining - was instead a quirky bit of filmmaking that took a long time in getting to the goods. The film unexpectedly becomes - near the end - a picture about the demise of a local video store and the coming together of community. This saves “Be Kind, Rewind” from complete mediocrity, but ultimately creates a drama out of what appeared to be a comedy.

Mike (Mos Def; “16 Blocks”) helps to run a video store in the city, which only sells actual video tapes not DVDs. The store - named Be Kind, Rewind - is financially squeezed by the big chain competitors who have updated to DVDs and have more movies, plus the building needs repairs to keep it up to code. Black (“Nacho Libre”) plays Jerry, Mike’s vagabond friend who lives near a power plant transformer. There’s a poorly explained reason why Jerry gets magnetized and erases the tapes, which is ultimately irrelevant to the primary story. Once the tapes are erased, Mike and Jerry decide to film their own versions of the big budget films. They hope their version of the films will save the store, which becomes an unexpected possibility.

The main characters’ use of rudimentary technology and an abbreviated timetable, give their inspired, low tech solutions in making the movies, a touch of brilliance. Box office hits like “Ghostbusters“, “RoboCop“, and “Rush Hour 2“, get the special treatment and are remarkably entertaining. This is too short a piece of the actual movie, and the anticipation to get to these humorous parts of the film may lose some. Film connoisseurs will appreciate which parts of the significantly shortened classics are kept and how they are re-envisioned by these low-budget filmmakers. I was also surprisingly drawn in by the level of community involvement with the store, as everyone pulls together at the end and create something memorable.

I wish “Be Kind, Rewind” had been funnier and the humor was more consistently sprinkled throughout rather than plunked down only in the middle. If you have the patience for the payout, “Be Kind, Rewind” may be a relatively enjoyable experience for lovers of independent films.

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references.