Be Kind, Rewind Review

Michel Gondry's films are usually brilliant, surreal, and sad, so when I saw Be Kind, Rewind, and saw that it seemed to be an straightforward, American, feel-good comedy, I was a bit disappointed. However, a little less than half way through the film, it becomes a bit more imaginative and salvages what at first glance seems to be a stupid premise with some funny spoofs. However, despite the fact that the film is basically a behind the scenes parody of the making of a Gondry film, the overall feel lacks his typical imaginative flair. Also, although Jack Black receives top billing, his character is merely a distraction. He is basically a catalyst for certain events in the movie who occasionally goes off on some sort of Jack Black comedic tangent. The film is about Mos Def's character, even though he has secondary billing, and his struggles with finding a creative identity and his relationship with his store, town, and father figure. However, the story and jokes are mostly formulaic, and the film is sustained mostly by Gondry's direction, the original elements of the story, and the feeling Gondry manages to instill even with a fairly cliche plot. Overall, I give it: 7.75