Be Kind, Rewind

Ned knows more movies that I have never heard of!  Today's choice was Be Kind, Rewind, a 2008 comedy starring Jack Black, Mos Def, and Mia Farrow.  It was very funny. I didn't even fall asleep once.

This takes place in a video rental store (so old they only rent VHS tapes), condemned by the city and scheduled to be torn down.

Jack Black becomes magnetized while trying to sabotage a power station (nearly electrocuting himself) and he inadvertently erases all of the videotapes in the store, while the owner is out of town at a centennial celebration for Fats Domino, the owner's hero.

To keep from letting people know what he has done, Black and Mos Def decide to remake every movie with their own camera, starting with Ghostbusters.

 

They make other movies and claim they are "Sweded" versions, made in Sweden, so they charge $20 per rental.  Sooner or later they the feds find out and they are going to be sued for millions of dollars for copyright infringement, and the city is waiting with demolition equipment to demolish the building.

Ned tells me the interesting thing about this movie is that it was actually filmed in a run down neighborhood in New Jersey and all the extras in the film are actual people who live in the neighborhood, just like all of the "Sweded" movies are cast with actual people who live in the neighborhood. 

A very odd movie, but given Ned's love of making movies, I can see why this appeals to him -- and I laughed out loud several times (and I'm not particularly a "laugher.")

Critic rating:  4.5