Black is back

by LES EVERETT

OFTEN, it seems, I flick channels on the TV and School of Rock is on. In Be Kind Rewind Jack Black plays pretty much the same character though this time he's not a zany teacher who gives crazed looks and does manic things, just a zany, crazed-look-giving manic bloke who lives in a trailer near a power point and tries to make ends meet.

Black's character Jerry has a friend Mike (Mos Def) who works in a video store run by Mr Fletcher (Danny Glover). The store is, according to local legend, in the building where Fats Waller was born. Of course the local council wants to pull the building down and build something better and will do so unless Mr Fletcher's business picks up. And, no, he hasn't embraced the DVD thing.

Anyway, one day Mr Fletcher goes away, leaves the store in Mike's hands and tells him to keep Jerry away from the place. Jerry gets magnetised trying to sabotage the power plant, goes to the video store and wipes all the tapes (because he doesn't know he's been magnetised).

There are complaints from customers about the blank tapes. Then a customer (Mia Farrow) comes in asking for Ghostbusters and the boys decide to film their own version. The idea takes off, the store becomes successful but then there are further problems and I'm sorry but once or twice I nodded off.

This might be for you if you're a mad film buff and see the subtle things the boys are doing in their film remakes or if you like that Jack Black character. But Be Kind Rewind barely made me raise a smile and if it did have a point it was laboured. Funnily enough even before Farrow arrived on the screen I had the feeling this had the look of a Woody Allem film - a not very good one.

25 March 2008

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