Throughout the 2000s, actor Jack Black was dominating the world of cinema. Whether he was playing the role of a musician substituting a classroom of students and teaching them the basics of rock n’ roll or becoming a Mexican wrestler, heck, even a panda wanting to learn Kung Fu, there was no way you’d find a year without a Jack Black film. But back in 2008, Jack Black would go on to star in a movie that, if you told someone today, they would hardly know what it even is. That movie is the underappreciated flick, Be Kind Rewind.

What is Be Kind Rewind?

The film centers on the roles of Jack Black and rapper Mos Def as two clerks who run a VHS rental store called Be Kind Rewind. Mike (Def) is relied on to take care of the business while his foster dad (Danny Glover) goes on a trip where Mike is informed to keep his friend Jerry (Black) out of the store. Jerry is a bizarre oddball who believes in conspiracy theories and even lives in a trailer.

One night while trying to sabotage a power facility because Jerry believes “the power is frying people’s minds”, he electrocutes himself. The following day, he mistakenly erases all the tapes with magnetism from the electrocution he suffered. In distress, Mike pitches the perfect idea to Jerry: recreate the films themselves as possible; their first plan is to recreate the beloved 80s classic Ghostbusters. And as the two find themselves doing more movies, they quickly find themselves becoming town celebrities and even getting the chance to expand their business.

The works and the return of the term “Sweded”

What makes the film work is its cast. Black and Def play their roles as the two leads, and their bickering and admirable chemistry help make the film work. Glover plays Mike’s foster dad, and we begin to see his rise from an old hermit who mostly prefers VHSs over DVDs to a man who must adjust to the fact things are changing. Mia Farrow plays the role of the sweet Miss Falewicz, while Melonie Diaz is later brought to the film as the duo’s new member, Alma (after Mike and Jerry realize that they need girls to help fill in for scenes that involve females). She helps bring in chemistry with both lead characters as she admires her new work.

Another thing that works is its comedy. When Mike and Jerry first work on their first movie, it becomes totally funny seeing them recreate as much as they can with such a tiny budget. And it even comes more forward as they take on recreating other movies such as Rush Hour 2 and even Driving Miss Daisy.

What makes the film genius is how the movie may have brought back the term “Sweded”. According to research, the term was used by people for tapes that were erased and then recreated, then being sold in Sweden as an excuse for higher rental fees and longer wait times. The term is brought up as an excuse by Mike and the crew to express on why they are charging more time and money per movie. As the term has been brought back to life, Director Michel Gondry took to life his own “sweded” version of the film’s trailer to promote the movie. The term has helped make an impact for YouTubers too, with some making low-budget versions of trailers for blockbuster films. It even helped celebrities in quarantine back in the summer to make the Quibi remake of The Princess Bride.

Why it deserves the recognition

It’s come to my attention that many people aren’t very familiar with the film. People are so used to Black’s work in films such as the recent Jumanji movies, Nacho Libre, School of Rock and the Kung Fu Panda franchise or his involvement as both a bandmate of the band Tenacious D and a YouTube gamer (Jablinski Games). But it’s surprising to know that not a lot of people aren’t aware of this movie’s existence. Why I believe it deserves the recognition (and not just because it’s a Jack Black movie) is because the film leaves an impact on viewers, including me. The film brings to light the thing that all of us enjoy in our life: movies. The two leads don’t just do it for the money they need to save their store from being closed; deep down, they enjoy doing it because it helps bring everyone together. Even when things go from bad to worse at the film’s third act, a solution is brought to life involving the film’s townspeople of Passaic, New Jersey. It teaches me, a lot of people, and my fellow crew of On the Reel that movies will forever be the thing that fascinates us because they have changed us.

If you want to know as much of the film now as possible, here’s the trailer:

Richard Renaud

Richard Renaud is a student currently on his second and last year of Professional Writing at Algonquin College. His activities are walking, watching TV and movies, as well as hanging out with family and friends. If you do see him, don’t be afraid to say “Hi”. Unlike the picture, he has [sadly] never been to space.