Be Kind Rewind
New Line Cinema | Release Date: February 22, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
12
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireKim Newman
The remake/parody sequences - trailers for which are on the official site - are outstanding, but Black’s all-over-the-place mania and Mos Def’s slightly too bland orphan hero don’t quite tie the rest of the picture together. Still, it has heart. And you’d rather see this version of "Rush Hour 2" than the original. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Sweet-natured and likable as the movie is, it never really delivers on the promise of its ingenious premise, which hints at a subversive retelling of mainstream Hollywood movies but stops short at goofy homage. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
The funniest things in Be Kind Rewind are not the many moments in which Mike and Jerry look like Ed Wood’s worst nightmare, but when the pair finds expedient ways to do for pennies what would take Brett Ratner millions and be less expressive to boot. Read full review
50
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Although frequently funny, Be Kind doesn't have the same pathos as "The Science of Sleep." (Nothing approaches the loneliness projected by Gael García Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg.) Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The whole film has a rag-tag, purposefully shambolic feel -- but this communal commitment to a DIY aesthetic is also his undoing, particularly when he allows an irritatingly manic Jack Black to run wild and virtually hijack the movie. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Feels slight and repetitive, even when there is no actual rewinding going on. Read full review
50
SlateDana Stevens
An unambiguous celebration of the state of preadolescent fixation. The movie is perhaps best understood as a 12-year-old boy: You want to give it a hug and then yell at it to pick up after itself. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Gondry’s well-meaning but too soft, too structure-less picture. Read full review
42
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
No doubt Be Kind Rewind will soon make its way to – um – DVD. Read full review
42
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
This movie doesn't have a mean bone in its body; the problem is, it doesn't have any bone in its body. Read full review
40
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
A comedy without one foot on the ground is no more than a flight of fancy, as directionless as a balloon; the master clowns of silent cinema knew that, and so does Mr. Fletcher, the gravid elder statesman of this film. As he says to Mike and Jerry, “I appreciate your creativity, but let’s be realistic for a second.” Be kind. Erase. Read full review
40
VarietyTodd McCarthy
It's a quick trip from whimsy to silliness in Be Kind Rewind, a notably ephemeral work by Michel Gondry, whose flights of fancy can't overcome the egregious illogic of the premise. Read full review
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