Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
After wiping out all the VHS tapes of a floundering rental store, Jack Black and Mos Def try to replace each title by re-shooting the movie by themselves.
Liked
The charming characters and story.
Thoughts
I was a little surprised by how likable and earnest it was.
Black, Def, and director Michel Gondry were very winning with their exuberance onscreen. I loved the montages of remakes, or "Swedes", in the film. Those moments perfectly captured the pure joy of movie-making.
What was interesting was that there was hardly an ounce of cynicism in the story or the characters. The main plot was rather cute, with a sincere subplot of building community.
The biggest knocks on it were that it was implausible at times, and Danny Glover's subplot meandered.
Overall, I enjoyed this fun little film thanks to its contagious enthusiasm.
What I would change
Removed some of the Danny Glover scenes.
