Be Kind Rewind
What’s it rated? PG-13
When? 2008
Where’s it showing?
Bay Theatre on Monday, April 6
(doors at 5, show at 5:30 p.m.; $10)
Writer-director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) helms this charming 2008 comedy about Jerry McLean (Jack Black), a conspiracy theorist and bumbling video store clerk who accidently erases all the store’s tapes after he becomes magnetized. The struggling store is already imperiled, housed in a building condemned as a slum and with just 60 days to upgrade before it’s razed to make way for a high-end development.
Jerry and his fellow clerk, Mike Coolwell (Mos Def), decide they’ll re-create all the films with their own video camera and cheap special effects, starting with Ghostbusters, requested by Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow), a friend of the vacationing store owner. When another customer asks for Rush Hour 2, they re-create it with help from Alma Sykes (Melonia Diaz), a local young woman. Their mostly ridiculous versions of the films charm their customers, so when store owner, Elroy Fletcher (Danny Glover), returns, he joins in the scheme in a bid to save his business.
It’s a feel-good story of a community coming together, and it’s got an ending that will leave you cheering. Great acting all around, and a jolt of nostalgia for those who witnessed the transition from VHS to DVD. (102 min.)
—Glen Starkey
This article appears in April 2 – April 9, 2026.