Someone I know asked me what the difference is between a movie like Be Kind Rewind and tripe like Meet the Spartans. He was, of course, not asking about the quality of the films but rather the fundamental difference in the concept (of spoofing well-known movies). My answer would've been simple if he was asking about the presentation: think brand name jackets. Be Kind Rewind is like a homemade one grandma knits just for you to keep you warm, while Meet the Spartans is that imitation you bought from the flea market that gives you severe bleeding rashes.
No, but really, what is the difference? Be Kind Rewind isn't a spoof film. It's not parodying films like Ghostbusters and Rush Hour 2. And while it certainly uses the recognizability of those movies as a selling point, it's not even the premise of the film. Or should I say, it's not where the core of the film really lies. Be Kind Rewind is a film that champions creativity, not the absence of it. When Jack Black and Mos Def—and let's be honest here, these two were not playing characters; they're having fun with the movie's plot as their own persona—are remaking those classic films, they're displaying creativity that is relatively as impressive as what the original movies achieved with their millions of dollars. If you think the fun of this movie would be to see their no-budget tactics in tackling Hollywood-size effects, you'd be right. Michel Gondry is incredibly clever with sight gags and inventive visuals, but the humorous banter between Jack and Mos are lacking, with those two performing on two different levels—one over-the-top, and one withdrawn—so their chemistry never quite clicks. The movie remakes are pretty much a big chunk of the film's merits. It's almost like a mini film school, as Professor Gondry shows you how to use household objects to build elaborate sets and costumes.
But Gondry wants you to be even more creative. Be Kind Rewind partakes in the fun of remaking these films, but comes to the conclusion that it's empty and shallow entertainment compared to making something that is completely and originally yours. Jack Black becomes a celebrity, but he does so using someone else's invention (when the crowd swamps him for autograph in his makeshift Robocop costume, what they're really chasing after is Robocop, if you think about it). Fittingly, their operation attracts the FBI's involvement, and it's interesting to note that the movie doesn't set them out to be a big bad villain that Jack and Mos must conquer. That's because we—and Gondry—know who's in the wrong. Ironic, perhaps, that the film started the whole sweding craze (in the film, the word "sweded" derives from Jack Black's character telling customers that their videos are imported from Sweden) on YouTube.
Therein lies the problem, I suppose. For a movie that concludes against the idea, it takes too much pleasure in celebrating it. What happens is that the sweding takes center stage, and we're more interested in seeing our favorite movies sweded than the actual story. What about Star Wars? What about The Matrix? What about On the Waterfront? This spark of curiosity deadens Gondry's real intention. They're cute to see and they get the laughs, but the only time they ever make a point to comment on the films they swede is when Mos Def notes how condescending Driving Miss Daisy is to black people and refuse to do it.
To be fair, Gondry sells the sweding projects as a gateway drug. It's something to get you excited about filmmaking and experience the joy of making movies. From then on, you move onto original projects. Be Kind Rewind is about the discovery of filmmaking—not the copying. With that in mind, it couldn't be farther in concept from something like Epic (failure of a) Movie.
Moving away from the whole sweding thing for a second, the actual plot itself is a nice story about how the Be Kind Rewind video store is losing customers to franchise stores like Blockbuster and in danger of closing. It's not about VHS vs DVD, since technology of course has to change, but about the independent business losing to a corporate entity. Gondry isn't so sentimental that he loses touch on reality, so while the ending is unnecessarily sappy, it's still bittersweet and makes a point about how certain businesses can only survive with the support of a community. Too bad it's overshadowed by the whole sweding concept.
"Be Kind Rewind" opens February 22, 2008 and is rated PG13. Comedy. Written and directed by Michel Gondry. Starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Mia Farrow, Danny Glover.
