Be Kind Rewind is the latest effort from Jack Black, the same guy that brought us Nacho Libre, School of Rock, and Shallow Hal. He’s also providing the voice for the title character in Kung-Fu Panda.
I’m normally not a big fan of Jack Black’s style of comedy, but after seeing the trailer for Be Kind Rewind, I couldn’t help myself. The nostalgia value was just too much to resist, especially when I knew that they were going to create crazy low-budget renditions of films like Menace II Society, Driving Miss Daisy, and — shown above — Robocop.
The premise of the movie is that Jack Black lives next to a power plant and he gets charged up with all sorts of electromagnetic energy. He walks into the local video rental store (that’s VHS, folks) and effectively de-magnetizes their entire library. Finding themselves in a pinch, Jerry (Jack Black) and Mike (Mos Def) throw together a home video version of the movies. Yeah, the premise is pretty lame, but the results are actually entertaining.
The “Sweded” movies (as they become known) are a big hit and everyone in the neighborhood wants their favorites to get the Jerry-and-Mike treatment. Yes, the film is completely outlandish and the plot hangs on by a very thin thread, but there is definitely some comedic value here to be enjoyed. I particularly liked their take on Ghostbusters.
Be Kind Rewind will never be mistaken as one of Jack Black’s best works and it has already developed quite the cult following. Go ahead and search on YouTube for “Sweded” and you’ll get a never-ending supply of fan videos. Even though the ending is cheesier than Velveeta and less satisfying than half a cup of instant noodles, you can have a great hour and a half laughing at Jack Black’s utter stupidity. It’s no Darth Vader, but it’s still pretty funny.
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