“Be Kind…“Be Kind Rewind” Directed by Michel Gondry Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover

out of

First he took audiences on a journey through their memories, then into the world of their dreams. Now, writer and director Michael Gondry is taking them to the video store.

“Be Kind Rewind” is his latest, a harmlessly funny and visually exciting tall tale that channels all of his trademark mirth and none of his typical melancholy.

While just as whimsical as 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and 2006’s “The Science of Sleep,” it’s heartwarming in a way that its bleak predecessors are not.

With flawless comedic pacing, the film’s inventiveness and charm will captivate you throughout.

Mike (Mos Def) runs a VHS-only video store, which is an old and understandably failing business. Making matters worse, his best friend Jerry (Jack Black) becomes temporarily magnetized and accidentally erases every tape in the store’s library.

To keep their few loyal patrons, the two set to replacing the tapes by filming low-budget remakes of any video in demand. Sound reasonable? No? Good.

Nothing about this movie seems probable, and that’s why it works. Sometimes things are more fun because of their absurdity.

Because really, how does a store stay open when it has never made more than $20 in a single day? Could a person magnetize his entire body by throwing a grappling hook into an industrial transformer?

As it turns out, it doesn’t really matter. It’s realistic enough for this movie’s skewed conception of reality, and as Mike and Jerry prove, realism can be irrelevant to entertainment value.

Which must be why their “sweded” movies (a term they coin themselves) become an instant sensation in the neighborhood as lines for their store wrap around the block.

Luckily, Gondry’s wild imagination and experience with practical effects make each one of the remakes (we see clips from nearly a dozen) a creative and believably imperfect spectacle.

After all, how do you recreate blockbusters like “Men in Black” and “Rush Hour 2” with virtually no budget? Maybe Robocop wears a suit made of old car parts. Or chubby, white Jack Black plays roles originated by the likes of Jackie Chan and Muhammad Ali. Maybe the movies are each only 20 minutes long, but who’s counting?

The customers love them because it makes them party to a unique and creative sensation that their dying town hasn’t seen for decades. You’ll love them because they’re clever and silly, as is the rest of the film, and that’s precisely its charm.

“Be Kind Rewind” is pure comedy, but as far as the genre is concerned, this is a rare and welcome find.

It is funny and innocent rather than sardonic or mean-spirited. Its humor comes from its simplicity – the logic of the characters and their atypical sensibilities only barely cross the line between plausible and absurd.

Though it’s sweet and harmless, that’s riskier these days than vulgarity. Movies like this or the critical darling “Juno” get noticed by being different, by relying on cleverness and charm rather than cynicism.

“Be Kind Rewind” is an endearing movie that not only makes you laugh, but makes you smile – the characters’ unshakeable optimism and unlikely success is a simple joy to watch.

Eventually the FBI comes to shut down the copyright-violating film studio, but by this point it’s obvious that Mike and Jerry aren’t the type to simply give up.

It ends with a touching (and shockingly plausible) send-off to the characters that you’ve come to love and root for, an understated finale that may be bittersweet, but still feels like a triumph for the amateur auteurs.

In the end, it’s a film that celebrates minor victories and the major impact they can have on people. For a movie to do that so well, without a hint of triteness or irony, is a memorable feat and a welcome surprise.

Comedies like this are a rare breed in our modern pop culture that celebrates sarcasm and zingers. While this will be a tough act for Gondry to follow, fans will look forward to seeing where he takes them next.