It’s a smaller film with some big-name stars, and it’s from a major studio: New Line Cinema. “Be Kind Rewind” may not be on your “must see list”, but if you’re a true movie fan, and you like to laugh, it should be.
Danny Glover stars as Mr. Fletcher, the owner of a video rental store, name Be Kind Rewind, that only carries VHS movies. So obviously the store isn’t doing a great business.
When Mr. Fletcher takes some time off so he can spy on the competition, and learn about things such as DVD’s, he puts his young employee Mike in charge. Hop Hop singer Mos Def plays Mike.
Jack Black plays Mike’s wacky friend Jerry, who accidentally erases all of the video tapes in the store. And so in order to stay in business Mike and Jerry shoot their own versions of the movies, including “Ghostbusters”, Rush Hour 2″, “Robocop” and “The Lion King.”
Soon the store is jammed with customers wanting to see Mike and Jerry’s tapes. But will they make enough money to keep the store from being shutdown by the city which wants to turn their block into condominiums?
Black, Def and Glover are all great and the films the guys make are hilarious. There are some fun supporting performances as well, including Mia Farrow, who plays one of the video stores most loyal customers.
“Be Kind Rewind” is a fable, a fairy tale. If you don’t take the plot too seriously and simply enjoy the fun you’ll have a great time.
It’s rated PG-13 for some minor sexual references but other than that it’s a movie that older kids and teenagers will enjoy and parents will love.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Be Kind Rewind” gets a B+, my highest grade for any movie so far this year.
Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases. All together he has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9.
LCJ appears every Friday morning on WGNA-FM . His movie reviews are also posted on his website, his YouTube channel and the popular website Cultjer.com. He is also a contributing writer for Jerry Beck’s AnimationScoop.com. Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE” (every Sunday at Noon ET). And “The LCJ Q&A Podcast” features interviews with celebrities and filmmakers. Among those who have joined LCJ on the show are comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried, “Wallace & Gromit” creator Nick Park, Emmy-winning game show host Todd Newton and Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Lights Camera Jackson has been co-starring in photographs with his favorite celebrities since he was 6 years old. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest appeared in the first. Seacrest was a VIP guest at a local telethon. Jackson, a big fan of “Idol”, approached Seacrest during a break and asked for an autograph. The “Idol” star eagerly obliged. Jackson and Ryan then posed for this photo.
Since then Jackson’s collection of photos with stars from film, TV, stage and sports has grown to over 400. Every one represents a special moment in the life/career of Lights Camera Jackson and includes its own unique backstory.