Kind Rewind review by Max Wonnacot

11:48am Tuesday 4th March 2008

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There is always a special charm surrounding Jack Black comedies: a sense that they belong in an innocent, bygone age. Family favourite School of Rock had that feel and though his latest film doesn't have the same belly laughs or mania, its easy going and soulful enough to make it a gently funny watch.

Set in a mundane New Jersey town, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) is the proprietor of the Be Kind Rewind video store, a quaintly anachronistic VHS emporium struggling to survive in the age of Blue-Ray DVDs. All that really sees it through is a widely accepted legend that it is the birthplace of Jazz legend Fats Waller.

Having been told that his shop is to be demolished, Mr Fletcher goes to find a way of saving his business whilst leaving it in the hands of Mike (Mos Def), his daft but well meaning adopted son.. Mike's friend Jerry (Jack Black), a quirky war veteran, conspiracy theorist and all-round layabout, accidentally erases the entire stock of the shop after a freak accident that leaves him magnetised.

In a desperate attempt to satisfy their regulars, the pair set about making their own versions of classic films that turn out to be much more popular with the locals than they could ever have imagined.

The brilliantly inventive remake scenes certainly provide the main laughs in this. I haven't actually seen Rush Hour 2 or Bad Boys 2, which is probably just as well as I am reliably informed that the Be Kind Rewind versions are better.

What really makes this film worthwhile is the general warmth that is exuded from it. The story of the video store seems to celebrate individualism and character whilst damning capitalist conformity and the final act seems strangely poignant in a way that somehow fits perfectly with the rest of the movie's tone.

Much of the narrative is preposterous even for a comedy and some of the films sub-plots and characterisations feel under-developed and incomplete, but none of that seems to matter. This is a comedy with no love interest, no bad guys and precious little swearing, and it feels all the better for it. All in all, it is a warm-hearted tale that drifts happily by like a Sunday afternoon.