Books and Movies

Kevin and I have been so lucky with some of my more off-beat Neflix choices lately. I say “my” choices, because I’m the one who manages our Netflix queue. Son of Rambow was last week’s Monday’s Movie, and it was really good. This week’s was just as enjoyable.

Be Kind Rewind is the story of two oddball friends, Jerry and Mike. Jerry (Jack Black) lives in a junkyard next to a power plant; he believes the plant is trying to fry his brain, as well as the brains of the others in the neighborhood. His friend, Mike (Dante “Mos’ Def” Smith), runs a video store for the elderly Mr. Fletcher, played by Danny Glover. Mr. Fletcher’s building is scheduled to be demolished unless he can come up with enough money for a new roof in six weeks. He leaves the store in Mike’s care and goes on a research trip, looking into the “new” DVD technology and the possibility of upgrading his store.

When Jerry tries to sabotage the power plant, he has a bit of an accident that results in his brain being magnetized. He visits Mike in the store, which results in every single tape in the store being erased. Mike and Jerry attempt to film their own versions of hit movies like Ghostbusters and Robocop in order to keep the video store customers happy.

What results is a hilarious and heartfelt film. Black and Smith are perfect as the oddly matched Jerry and Mike, and their homemade films become a surprising hit. The store is suddenly busy, and it’s future is looking brighter.

Kevin and I both enjoyed this quirky film and it’s many laugh-out-loud moments. I’m not always a fan of Jack Black’s movies, but this one was great.

4 out of 5 bags of popcorn