By Ryan Parsons | Image property of New Line Cinema.
Be Kind Rewind
While a screener thought Be Kind Rewind would be a great sell once it hit theaters, it is time to see what some of the critics think.
Official Reviews: Be Kind Rewind
The first official reviews for Be Kind Rewind are positive, but both have no problem throwing some negative viewpoints as well.
Variety
It's a quick trip from whimsy to silliness in "Be Kind Rewind," a notably ephemeral work by Michel Gondry, whose flights of fancy can't overcome the egregious illogic of the premise. A few geeks and VHS cultists may cotton to the spectacle of two videostore clerks compensating for the accidental erasure of commercial tapes by shooting their own versions of "Ghostbusters," "Rush Hour 2" and "Driving Miss Daisy," but inspiration is as meager as the antics of Jack Black and Mos Def are lame. Fact that, after its fleeting theatrical runs, this New Line release will rapidly move to its natural home on DVD -- but emphatically not on VHS -- ironically underscores the film's screwy cultural and technological disjunctures.
The Hollywood Reporter
After highly imaginative explorations of man's natural instincts ("Human Nature") and the interplay of memory, dreams and personal relationships ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Science of Sleep"), Michel Gondry has turned his playful gaze to film itself.
"Be Kind Rewind" wants to probe the interplay among films, their audience and the people who make them. It's an exuberant, fanciful fable set amid the scruffy outskirts of American society, where people's need for escapism coincides with their desire to participate in its creation.
As with most Gondry films, "Rewind" is not for all tastes. Its good-natured sweetness will appeal to many; others may shun the fractured fairy tale altogether. Yet this French filmmaker has developed enough of an international fan base for his fanciful films to fully support this modestly budgeted effort.
Be Kind Rewind opens to theaters on February 22nd.
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