Be Kind Rewind
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Be Kind Rewind is a 2008 American comedy film from New Line Cinema, directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover and Mia Farrow. The film premiered on January 20, 2008 at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was later shown at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film opened on February 22, 2008 in the United Kingdom and in the United States.
The title is a reference to a phrase commonly displayed on VHS rental tapes during the medium's heyday.
Plot
Jerry (Jack Black) is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant that he believes is melting his brain. But when his plan goes awry, the magnetic field that he creates accidentally erases all of the videotapes in a local video store where his best friend Mike (Mos Def) works. Fearing that the mishap will cost Mike his job, the two friends team up to keep the store's only loyal customer, a little old lady with a tenuous grasp on reality (Mia Farrow) from realizing what has happened by recreating and re-filming every movie that she decides to rent. They are described as having come from Sweden as an excuse for higher rental fees and longer wait times. Jerry and Mike become the biggest stars in their neighborhood by starring in some of the biggest movies ever made, but soon get into trouble when it turns out their 20-minute duplicate films violate copyright law.
