Masand's Verdict: Be Kind Rewind, an average comedy

LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS: Apart from a terrific idea at core, Be Kind Rewind has nothing else to offer.

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Cast: Jack Black, Mos Def

Director: Michel Gondry

Be Kind Rewind is one of those films that's got a terrific idea at its core. But sadly, it has nothing more.

After a failed attempt at breaking into a power plant — don't even ask why — Jack Black gets heavily magnetized and ends up erasing every single videotape that's lying on the racks at the video-store his friend Mos Def works at.

What do they do now? They don't have enough cash to replace the damaged tapes with new ones, and worse still they can't even find replacement tapes at other stores, because, let's face it, who stocks VHS anymore, we're in the age of DVD, baby!

Well, the two guys hit upon a ridiculous plan; they decide to "re-enact" the movies and rent them to unsuspecting customers. Yes, it sounds insane, but really what choice were they left with? You won't believe how they go about shooting their own version of Ghostbusters, complete with theme music and all. And wait till you see them do Rush Hour 2 and Driving Miss Daisy, it's absolutely hilarious!

Well, eventually, these '20-minute versions' become a rage among their customers and soon the entire neighbourhood’s queuing up outside the store for their favourite titles.

Now, for the most part, this film rests squarely on the comic talents of its two leads, but when the basic idea is stretched too far, boredom begins to set in. The film also spends too much time and energy on the video-store owner Danny Glover and his obsession with a legendary jazz musician.

Trimmed judiciously, this might have been a great watch, but in its current form, it's only an average entertainer. So that's two out of five for director Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind - you want to see a truly mind-bending classic, rent Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on DVD, also directed by Gondry and written by genius screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.

Rating: 2/5 (Average)