Be Kind Rewind (2008)
For some inexplicable reason, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) refuses to upgrade his video rental store to DVDs and continues to rent exclusively VHS tapes. When Mr. Fletcher goes out-of-town, he leaves Mike (Mos Def) in charge, and local weirdo Jerry (Jack Back) magnetizes himself erasing every tape in the store.
Mr. Fletcher’s friend, Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) wants to rent Ghostbusters (1984). To avoid telling her it’s been erased, Jerry and Mike film themselves recreating the iconic moments from the movie, claiming their different copy of the film is a Swedish import. The results are inadvertently hilarious and before long, numerous people are requesting the duo provide alternative versions of their favorite films.
When lawyers arrive with a cease and desist order, the group films a fictionalized biography of Fats Waller in a bizarre desperate effort to save the store.
With bizarre characters, contrived situations, and a million stories somehow converging, this feels like an episode of Seinfeld. Sadly, the only funny thing are the fake films within the film.
Danny Glover’s longevity commands respect regardless of the quality of the movie.
Mos Def is likable, but he’s not competent enough to play such a large role.
Jack Black is funny, but he’s approaching the age when he needs to transition to less manic, more reserved roles. A thirty something man-child is amusing. A fifty year old man who acts the same way is a loser.
Since her relationship with Woody Allen ended, Mia Farrow’s career has stagnated. I suppose it’s easier to have a vibrant career with a powerful director writing roles just for you.
This movie shares the same off-kilter worldview as Michael Gondry’s earlier film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), but lacks its intelligence or depth. It made me chuckle a few times, but, like VHS tapes, this film is destined to become a forgotten relic.
Little Women (1994)
Despite the continuing popularity of Alcott’s book, I’m not sure how well it holds up and may be better viewed as a historical artifact.
It feels like Jane Austen set during the US Civil War. The March sisters are obsessed with finding a husband, because apparently this is the single most important thing in the world, which may have been true in the mid-nineteenth century, but hardly seems relevant today.
The cast is fine, but forgettable. It was fun seeing a young Kirsten Dunst, Christian Bale, and Claire Danes, but the only person I’ll remember is Winona Ryder, although her May – December romance with Gabriel Byrne is a little off-putting.