Be Kind Rewind. Life is Swede.

Be Kind Rewind is Michel Gondry's endearing film about salvation. Not the religious kind, though spiritual salvation isn't out of the question. There are two storylines: Mr. Fletcher's (Danny Glover) struggle to keep his home and business and Mike (Mos Def), Jerry (Jack Black) and Alma's (Melonie Diaz) creative effort to remake — Swede — erased feature films on video. See IMDB for more plot summary. I will add, or emphasize, that the story is set in Passaic, New Jersey.

This is unmistakably a Gondry film. Like the more dramatic, different and slightly better Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, strange things happen to people who aren't quite normal. Likewise as in The Science of Sleep, fantastic and hand-made props show up all over the place, especially as the three friends set out to replace the erased videos with their own recreations. Here, though, the hand-made stuff is meant to appear that way, as movie props. Other effects, which are reminiscent of some used in Eternal Sunshine, are realistic and organic. Take Jerry's unfortunate magnetic body — the reason all the videos in the store are erased — as he walks back to his trailer from the video store: the camera is stationary at the store watching Jerry walk down the sidewalk. His body interacts with any large metal item he passes — a light pole is hard to get past only to be sucked in by a chain link fence. And then there is the very Gondry-like sentiment...

A key moment early in the film is a big wink at the audience that we're in for something uplifting. In a sad, bureaucratic office Mr. Fletcher is told that a bland condo complex intended for the site his video store and home are on is "just trying to improve people's lives." We don't believe that for a minute nor does Mr. Fletcher, who just sits and stares in his disbelief. What we do believe is that Mr. Fletcher was beaten to the line by the smarmy developer, because Fletcher is the one really improving people's lives. We can't forget that Mike, his adopted son, and Jerry are also trying to improve people's lives. What's kind of great is that the do gooders know they're doing good. It's what makes them try harder. In many movies, people do good things then appear humble to point of being oblivious. In reality, people feel better when they do good and sometimes they even gloat. In doing good Mike and Jerry sometimes break the law, which never seems too threatening. Despite the realistic characterizations of these odd folks, this is every bit a fable as those told by Aesop.

There are lessons out the wazoo here, but what makes Be Kind Rewind fun is watching the lessons play out and watching the characters learn them. There is so much wonderful variety in the characters. In many ways, I'm reminded of Do the Right Thing — a recent favorite of mine that I tried, but failed to write about. The neighborhood and its inhabitants, the local mythology and the sense of place that binds the locals and transplants together — it just reminds me of it. I don't think it's an accident that I'm reminded of a New York film. There is a certain tone that pervades post-Scorcese New York film regardless of the filmmaker. Whether it's Spike Lee or Wes Anderson or Noah Baumbach, even Whit Stillman, these filmmakers mix fantasy and reality in different amounts to spin their tales. Michel Gondry brings a French sense of adventure to his filmmaking, a desire to go into uncharted waters with his stories, while grounding them with this New York sense of reality — one not overly concerned with the truth.

There is so much more to talk about with this movie, like Swedeing — what!? And, Alma is a fabulous and indispensable character. I don't recall critics I read referring to her as much as they should have. I'm only mentioning her greatness here at the end, but that's another reason to see this movie — figure out what's so great about her. One thing to look for early on is a great sight gag: Mike has a note that he's trying to decipher, even as he and Jerry are attempting to sneak in to a power plant. The gag's at the plant. I laughed. Netflix it! Or go to your corner store, if one still exists, and rent it. Here in DC, I guarantee you that Potomac Video and Capitol Video will have one waiting for you.