Clerks meets Dumb and Dumber
This was a mediocre comedy with tacked on stupidity. The premise is beyond bizarre, but the previews sucked me in anyway – I really wanted to see what a ‘Sweded’ version of Ghostbusters might look like. If you watch it hoping to see lots of films parodied en masse, you will be disappointed – but they do have tons of loyal followers who have flooded the web with sites of ‘Sweded’ films. You have to give the creators credit, they have started a trend, or at least coined a phrase for a practice that has been going on since the first hand-held camcorders were sold.
The characters were benign and idiotic at best. I have come to really like Jack Black, but his whacko portrayal of loon Jerry Gerber leaves a lot to be desired. The character development takes forever to establish and while you do find yourself rooting for the players, you have to wonder – why. You never find out much about any of them, save for Fats Waller, you’ll hear plenty about him throughout.
Character comedies are always hit or miss with me, they remind me of watching French comedies with Norwegian subtitles – slapstick and buffoon comedy need little translation, but it can rapidly get old if nothing else supports the action. There were some noteworthy cameos by some A-list actors, and I am sure Passaic, NJ is titillated their town is showcased in such a positive light.
And, there are lots of good messages throughout the film, but integrity sure isn’t one of them. I was reminded of Jakob the Liar towards the end. Now, how many critics do you know that can tie Be Kind Rewind to Jakob the Liar, in your face Ebert & Roeper! But, I digress. Be kind to yourself and rent this one for a light-hearted nonsensical trip to Passaic, NJ. I mean, you wouldn’t want to actually GO there, would you?
