Be Kind RewindMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Be Kind Rewind."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 52 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
12 OK for kids 12+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    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. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    The films of Michel Gondry aren't for everyone, but viewers who vibe to his playful, cerebral, wildly imaginative sensibility might get a kick out of Be Kind Rewind. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    In its sweet, lackadaisical way, Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind illuminates the pleasures and paradoxes of movie love. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    There's nothing not to like about the movie, a teensy, hand-crocheted trifle, fitted with embroidered pockets of guest stardom, including Mia Farrow as the nice local lady who wants to see what "Ghostbusters" is all about and "Ghostbusters'" own Sigourney Weaver as a movie-studio corporate meanie, ha-ha. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Gondry and the gifted indie cinematographer Ellen Kuras have fun with the amateur versions of the likes of "RoboCop," "Rush Hour," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "King Kong" and "Driving Miss Daisy." These snippets are fun but frustratingly brief. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Whimsy with a capital W. No, it's WHIMSY in all caps. Make that all-caps italic boldface. Oh, never mind. I'm getting too whimsical. Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    Sweet-natured and likable as the movie is, it never really delivers on the promise of its ingenious premise, which hints at a subversive retelling of mainstream Hollywood movies but stops short at goofy homage. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Feels slight and repetitive, even when there is no actual rewinding going on. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    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. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Inside 10 minutes, at most 15, Be Kind Rewind reveals itself as an awful mess, and it only gets worse. Read full review

View more reviews for Be Kind Rewind on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 12+ Quirky Jack Black comedy is sweet and silly.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the stars of this comedy -- Jack Black and Mos Def -- are both extremely popular with teens and even tweens. Happily, the movie is age-appropriate for both groups (particularly teens). There's some language (including "s--t"), but not as much as in most PG-13 films, and virtually no sexual activity, save for a few "on camera" kisses while the characters re-shoot movies. There's also one discussion about "getting action." The main product tie-ins are West Coast Video and the re-filmed movies themselves.
  • Families can talk about what the film is saying about Hollywood movies. Can a redone, amateurish 20-minute version of a movie be just as good as -- or better than -- the original? Or is the point that, in re-shooting the films with other movie fans, everyone becomes part of the films and the community? Kids: Does a movie have to be believable to be good?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The entire community unites for a common goal: to make a film and celebrate how it ties them to the neighborhood's history -- real or imagined.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: In one scene, Jerry is magnetized by a power plant, but it's not disturbing, just funny. Mr. Fletcher roughly holds onto a punky teen while admonishing him. Pretend violence in the re-shot films.
  • sex false3 Sex: Shots of kissing during scenes from various re-filmed movies. In one conversation about "how much action" the main characters get, Mr. Fletcher makes a somewhat crude joke.
  • language false0 Language: Language includes "s--t," "damn," and "dammit."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Recognizable brands/names include West Coast Video and the many, many movies the guys re-shoot: Ghostbusters, RoboCop, Rush Hour 2, etc. Throughout the film, the life of jazz legend Fats Waller is an ongoing theme.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… not Michel Gondry's most coherent one … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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