Jack Black Gave One of His Smartest (and Best) Performances in This Overlooked Existential Comedy

Even though he is one of the most popular comedy stars working today, Jack Black is a far more versatile actor than he is given credit for. It is easy to forget that before becoming the star of such hit video game adaptations as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and A Minecraft Movie, Black appeared in the acclaimed coming-of-age film Jesus’ Son, the powerful addiction drama Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, and the Richard Linklater films School of Rock and Bernie. While Black was still able to bring a sense of humor to these projects, he was able to show his range as an actor by giving them a genuine sense of emotion. Black was absolutely hilarious, yet surprisingly moving in Be Kind Rewind, an existentialist comedy from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry.

What Is ‘Be Kind Rewind’ About?

Be Kind Rewind centers on a small VHS rental store that is going out of business, as the owner, Elroy Fletcher (Danny Glover), is informed that his building may be torn down as part of a citywide expansion effort. Fletcher’s only employee is the bookish cashier Mike Coolwell (Mos Def), who is given sole control over the store when his employer leaves to attend a funeral; Black co-stars as Mike’s best friend, Jerry McLean, a conspiracy theorist who lives in a local junkyard. Despite not being an official employee, Jerry frequents the store because he loves classic movies, and offers to help Mike out during a difficult situation. After the customer, Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow), tries to rent a copy of Ghostbusters, Mike and Jerry realize that the VHS has been damaged, and is no longer playable. However, they decide that since Falewicz has never seen Ghostbusters, they can recreate the film themselves and give it to her. This proves to be a model of success, as Jerry and Mike continue to start making their own versions of all the VHS movies that they have in the store.

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Be Kind Rewind is a powerful tribute to cinephiles and filmmakers, as it celebrates the engrossing process of creating art. Even though Jerry and Mike have relatively no experience behind the camera and hardly have any legitimate resources to use, they can make entertaining films because they are forced to make creative decisions to use what they have. It’s evident that both characters have a passion for the films that they recreate, and that their intention is to pass along that same joy to other people who have never seen them. Even though it is more than obvious that their version of Rush Hour 2 is not even close to the real thing, their customers still find something to appreciate about it because they understand that it was made with the utmost sincerity.

Jack Black Is More Than Comic Relief in ‘Be Kind Rewind’

Black shows a positive depiction of fandom, as Jerry is a character who wants to allow others to feel the same sense of joy that he does when he watches his favorite movies. Although in recent years the term “fandom” has been turned into an ugly word that is associated with toxicity, Black portrays a character who is trying to expand the definition of what a “fan” can be, and is not trying to be a gatekeeper. The quirk that he is a conspiracy theorist is not meant to imply that Jerry is problematic, but that he simply has a more imaginative way of viewing the world. Since Jerry’s life is not an easy one, he uses his imagination to help improve his outlook on life.

Black is able to play a selfless character who finds satisfaction in the creation of art itself, even though he does not want to take credit for anything. Although Gondry is a filmmaker who often deals with existentialist themes about how people become the authors of their own stories, Black distills these complex ideas into a broad emotional appeal. Be Kind Rewind is a film made for cinephiles, and Black’s performance is incredibly potent to the community that it represents.