I saw Michel Gondry’s new film Be Kind Rewind over the weekend and felt compelled to share my love. I’ve peppered in a few loosely-related MP3s in the mix to keep this from getting too far away from the tunes I know you all enjoy.
MP3: The 6ths - Movies in My Head
If I taught a film course, I’d be inclined to show Be Kind Rewind on the first day of class. Not because it’s any major turning point for world cinema or even an extreme visual delight (like Science of Sleep). No, I’d do it because it asks several important questions that modern moviegoers need to ask themselves, not least among them “What role do films play within the community?” But rather than beating you over the head with meta-commentary, Gondry uses two luckless schmucks in New Jersey to suggest questions rather than force-feed them.
MP3: Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe
I’d say that there are three ways to enjoy/interpret this movie, mirrored by three ways to describe the film. Let me explain:
There are those people out there who will ask their friends to go with them to see The New Jack Black Movie. These people are going to laugh so hard that they shoot soda out of their nose for the entire middle of the film. Jack Black plays a hilariously disconnected character who’s going to provide most people with someone to identify with through the film. I was curious how Black would play into a Gondry film, as he’s not someone my mind immediately jumps to when picking actors that would compliment his style (then again, neither is Jim Carrey). Plus, his character was originally going to be written with Dave Chappelle in mind. But Black managed to tap into just enough of his zaniness to be funny, but reigned it in enough to not distract from the film. So to summarize, yes, this is a comedy and can stand alone as such.
MP3: Rufus Wainwright - Movies of Myself
Next are the people who will ask their friends to see The New Mos Def Movie. According to Stuff White People Like, this is likely going to be all of you white people out there. Mos Def’s side of the story, and one important reading of the film, is the importance of community, heritage and the role film and the arts plays within those. Be Kind Rewind is also a very meaty movie handled in a very light way. The bad guys are comical, but represent serious conflicts that most people will have to face. Nearly everyone in the film wants Mos Def to change, right down to his friends who ask why the store still hasn’t switched over to the more popular DVD format. “Well, they said that about laserdisc too…” is his sheepish reply.
Last is something that closely links to the previous way, and that’s those people who will call it The New Michel Gondry Movie. For anyone who loves to over analyze movies, this is your buffet for the next week. Gondry, as the writer and director, basically takes the conflicts and successes of Jerry (Black) and Mike (Def), looks at us and asks “what about you?” What’s the importance of films in our lives and in our communities? Do they bring us together as friends? It’s no coincidence that the film begins with recollections of the jazz era. That music, that art, did more to bring people together as a participatory community than any since. Gondry takes that American tradition and puts it within the frame of some amateurs making neighborhood films. It asks us why films have become a solitary experience. We rent DVDs and watch them on our computers while answering IMs or typing up blog posts (guilty). Gondry show us that films can, and should, bring people together.
MP3: Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
The best part about all this is that there’s no right or wrong way to enjoy this film. Chances are that you’ll still laugh when Jerry shows Mike how to film a night scene during the day, just as you probably won’t miss the parallels between the rent parties of the jazz age and the ’swedeing’ that the duo come up with. And while the plot might be a little thin at times, I can’t help but wish that there was a Be Kind Rewind on my block.
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Be sure to head over to the Be Kind Rewind Soundtrack on Myspace to stream Mos Def covering Fats Waller’s “Your Feets To Big.” He certainly sounds like he’s having fun with the song.
