Heart and a handheld camera

The film takes place in Passaic, N.J. We all know New Jerseyans can be some strange folk, but in this cinematic portrayal, everybody has special peculiarities. Nobody in Passaic is more deranged than Jerry (Jack Black), an eccentric junkyard manager convinced that the local power plant is trying to drive him insane. When a sabotage attempt on the plant goes terribly wrong, Jerry accidentally becomes magnetized, and his body's magnetic force erases all the videotapes at the local video store where his friend Mike (Mos Def) works. Since the owner has stubbornly refused to switch to digital, the friends find themselves in a video store without a single working tape. Faced with this desperate situation, the men decide to remake the films to hide their mistake. They soon find that their own films are far more popular than the originals.

"Be Kind Remind" is a film tailor-made for movie buffs, since it features remakes of many popular films. These cheap alternatives to films like "Ghostbusters" and "Boyz in the Hood" look fantastic and are often more exciting than any average Hollywood movie. As the team proudly quips, each of their versions "is better than the original" and is "only 20 minutes." Their take on the famous 360-degree jog inside a spaceship in "2001: A Space Odyssey" has a rough-edged quality that beautifully captures the look and tone of the sci-fi epic. Gondry's remakes are inspiring, as they hint that any Average Joe can be a Spielberg or Kubrick if he harnesses his imagination a bit.

Through his use of subtle visual cues, Gondry adds unexpected depth to his ode to popular cinema. When the newly magnetized Jerry walks into the video store, the screen begins to flicker wildly, mimicking the look of the tapes affected by his presence. Brief moments like this immerse the viewer in Gondry's unique and fully realized world.

Actors always deliver in Gondry's movies, and this one is no exception. On one level, Black is his usual manic self as the high-strung Jerry. Surprisingly, though, Black also brings a certain amount of pathos to what could have been another one-note role. After a particularly bad "Driving Miss Daisy" shoot, Jerry confesses that people "somehow look at [him] differently" now that he stars in movies. Black's nervous delivery exposes his character as a man for whom the movie business is a chance for vindication after a life of disappointment and isolation. Mos Def plays Jerry's sidekick Mike with continual frustration, making him the perfect foil to the generally exuberant Jerry. Both leads give enthusiastic performances that imbue Gondry's meticulously crafted remakes with contagious energy and excitement.

One nagging fault that keeps this film from being a future classic is the unconvincing drama that drives the plot forward: The threat that the city might demolish the store often seems tacked on. Gondry cannot strike a convincing balance between the superbly executed comedy and the more serious stuff on the periphery. Any time the owner of the store meets with city officials, the film grinds to a boring halt. Only in an awkward interaction between Mike and the starlet of his films does one see the same touching angst and longing found in Gondry's other mind trips. This genuinely interesting tension only lasts a few moments, but it suggests that the production could be much more than a fun cinematic romp.

To label "Be Kind Rewind" as shallow not only ignores the director's continually surprising presentation, but disregards the plot's underlying satire as well. After all, what does it say about Hollywood when two guys equipped with a VHS camera can make better movies for 20 bucks than major studios can for $100 million? Still, the movie lacks the involving stories found in Gondry's other films. If you're looking for something as memorable and profound as "Eternal Sunshine," you won't find it here. But if you go to the theater ready for a thoughtful look at the joy of making movies, then "Be Kind Rewind" will be one flick you'll want to watch over and over again.

Four out of five paws

Pros: Michel Gondry's dazzling direction turns home movies into art. Enthusiastic ensemble cast, Jack Black's best comedic performance