There are generally two camps of thought when it comes to the critiquing of Michel Gondry’s feature films: he’s a brilliant visionary or he sacrifices substance for style. 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind brought Gondry into the mass consciousness because of striking a perfect balance between substance and style. Two years later, The Science of Sleep slightly tipped the scales in the favor of misc-en-scene. Nevertheless, his track record with groundbreaking music videos and eccentric features have built up a series of expectations for audiences that aren’t appreciated by everyone, but fiercely defended by those who are appreciative. It’s because of these reasons that his latest endeavor, Be Kind Rewind is so disappointing. In Be Kind Rewind Gondry has toned down the visual mind trips synonymous with his past work while simultaneously dulling the charm in favor of a more straightforward narrative.
Be Kind Rewind focuses on a video store of the same name in a deteriorating section of Passaic, New Jersey. Owned by elderly Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) and manned by Jerry (Jack Black) and Mike (Mos Def), the solely VHS carrying store is in danger of demolition for the sake of gentrification. The store only remains in business due to its primary claim to fame as being the birth place of jazz music legend Fats Waller and Mr. Fletcher is given sixty days to raise enough money for renovations or the store will be demolished. During a weeklong trip intended to spy on rival West Coast Video, Mr. Fletcher leaves Mike in charge with only one direction: keep Jerry out. Not only is Jerry not kept out, but he also manages to erase every tape in the entire store after a freak accident trying to sabotage a power plant leaves his brain magnetized. With the help of neighborhood girl, Alma (Melonie Diaz), Jerry and Mike set out to remake each video in the store on their own before Mr. Fletcher returns.
Gondry’s stamp is immediately noticeable in Jerry’s attempt to sabotage the power plant—he believes the government is using microwaves from the plant to control people’s brains and copes with his living right next door to it by wrapping himself in tin foil and wearing metal baskets on his head to protect his brain. It’s a slightly absurd way to provide us with an inciting incident, but most people will be willing to write it off because well, it is Michel Gondry after all. I, however, am not of that mindset. Many of the odd moments simply exist for the sake of being odd and some real clunky editing results in an obstructed flow to the film. There’s still a touch of Gondry’s distinct visual style (Mike and Jerry’s filmmaking montage echoes Eternal Sunshine), but for the most part these trademarks are few and far between. The story lacks the charm of previous Gondry titles as well mainly due to the lack of a satisfying love subplot. The only element that really comes close is the rapport that is developed between the Be Kind Rewind employees and the community of Passaic and even that is somewhat lacking strong emotional connections. However, the film does explore some relevant themes of the old replacing the new exemplified in the gentrification of downtown Passaic and Mr. Fletcher’s assertion to switch to DVD. Mos Def also gives a subtly touching performance in contrast to Jack Black’s portrayal of every other Jack Black role you’ve seen.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call the film a letdown, but Be Kind Rewind certainly seems like a step backwards for the ever-progressive Gondry. He’s set the bar pretty high for himself and in my opinion, the only way to be fully satisfied this time around is with lowered expectations. While not a bad film, the straight forward narrative film should be left to some other, less significant filmmaker. As is, the film could say "Directed by Blankety Blank" and no one would know the difference. When he plays to his strengths is when Gondry shines.
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