Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- whimsical
- witty
- warm
- lazy sunday
- movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film inviting, inventive, and warmly entertaining, though its eccentric premise and uneven execution limited its broader critical impact.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jerry and Mike recreate famous movies with improvised costumes, sets, props, and effects, making creative limitation central to the viewing experience.
The homemade movies attract local audiences and turn a struggling video store into a gathering place organized around collective film memories.
After the store's videotapes are erased, Mike and Jerry secretly produce replacements while trying to prevent Mr. Fletcher from discovering the disaster.
The condemned building, video store, and apartment are all threatened with demolition, giving the creative scheme civic as well as personal stakes.
Films like Be Kind Rewind, and why
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
handmade filmmaking, eccentric comedy, neighborhood community, and warm outsider protagonists
Amélie
whimsical surrealism, small-scale community stakes, and an affectionate portrait of unconventional characters
Clerks
video-store culture, cinephile humor, friendship, and low-key comic drama
The Science of Sleep
eccentric characters, improvised creativity, and hopeful community-building comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Michel Gondry
- Release Date
- 2008-02-21
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1539)
Cast
- Jack Black
- Yasiin Bey
- Danny Glover
- Mia Farrow
- Melonie Díaz
- Irv Gooch
- Chandler Parker
- Arjay Smith
- Marcus Carl Franklin
- Blake Hightower
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Be Kind Rewind about?
- After a freak accident erases a video store’s entire inventory, two unlikely friends remake blockbuster films by hand to keep their threatened neighborhood business alive.
- What is Be Kind Rewind like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Be Kind Rewind as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Be Kind Rewind violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Be Kind Rewind as mild.
- What did critics think of Be Kind Rewind?
- Critics generally found the film inviting, inventive, and warmly entertaining, though its eccentric premise and uneven execution limited its broader critical impact.
- Which films are like Be Kind Rewind?
- Films with a similar feel include Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Amélie, Clerks, and The Science of Sleep.
- How long is Be Kind Rewind?
- Be Kind Rewind runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Be Kind Rewind?
- In United States, Be Kind Rewind is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
