I will be kind, and save you the rental

Witness one of the few funny frames from this film.



With Be Kind Rewind coming out on DVD I figured this was a good time to talk about this little film that wasn't kind or good. I caught this film in the theater, and I can assure you that it is not as good as we all want it to be. This is a movie about two friends that are forced to re-film an entire library of movies at their video store.

After watching the preview, I wanted this to be good. After hearing this is from the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I wanted this to be great. After seeing this film, I wanted my 101 minutes back. If there were a 16-minute version that just had the sequences of re-filming the movies and screening them then I would enjoy it. This movie never finds its groove, has an odd tone, and in fact it doesn’t finish any of the love stories it tries to set up.

Great idea for a movie, Good actors that have potential, poorly executed. I’m going to put this movie in the “Take it out of your Netflix queue and look for clips on YouTube” category.

It’s a classic you watched in 9th grade English, but have you see it since?

I feel such nostalgia when I see this image. While my Dad was an attorney, he never talked to me on the porch swing with such affection, I wasn’t a tomboy and I didn’t wear overalls. I guess it just reminds me of the childhood I never had, as a southern girl in the 1930’s.


Last week I was hosting an improv show and we came to a game where I asked the audience for movie quotes. Usually we get the same basic ones (“I’ll be back”, “Show me the money” “Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn”). I’ve never been stumped by a movie quote until this show. A woman from the back says “If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks.” I responded with a hearty “HUH!?!” She repeated the line and then commented in a snooty fashion, “It’s from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’”. I reply back, “Oh sure, that’s a classic, one of my favorites” and then as an aside say, “Never seen it.” My joke got a good laugh but it made me leave the theatre thinking about that film.

As I changed in the dressing room I told a friend “I know it’s about kids, racism and a guy named Boo, but I don’t remember what happened.” My friend leaned back and was about to give a plot summary and I quickly interrupted him, “no no, don’t say anything. I want to watch it and experience it with fresh eyes.” As a high school student I was forced to read a lot of crap that was given the label of literature. I was especially happy when a movie had a film made because it was a big time saver. I remember being assigned this book and one weekend asking my dad during a trip to Blockbuster if we could rent “To Kill a Mockingbird.” My wise and discerning father smiled and said, “Maybe later, why don’t you actually read this one. It’s good, trust me.” Sure enough, I read the book and it was good. I watched the movie and it was good too, one of the few films that held its own to the book.

When I sat down last week to watch this film I had high expectations and still no recollections of plot points. Watching this movie made me happy. I ran the gambit of emotions and felt satisfied when the final credits ran. It’s really a great story that really kept me going until the last minute. Atticus Finch made me want to have some kids and go to law school. (A few days later, only one of those is still a goal.) This character personifies wisdom and yet communicates values to his children in a simple and powerful way.

I realize that my blog has been recommendation heavy, but I can’t change my course when it comes to this classic film. Click from this page to your Netflix queue and add “To Kill a Mockingbird”. It doesn’t need to take the top spot, but when it gets closer to the number one spot, remember my strong recommendation. One week before I had said “It’s one of my favorites” as a joke, but now it actually is.

The laughs didn’t last all three trimesters.

In my opinion, Tina Fey is the most attractive famous female with a scar.
(not a highly populated category, but don’t let that detract from her victory)



This weekend I found myself saying “Baby Mama? Sure, I’ll go see Baby Mama.” I was not in a rush to see this film. If I had seen it down the road via Netflix, that would have been fine. But I saw it with some friends, and therefore the ticket was worth it. In regards to the film itself…ehhhh, it was ehhhh. Kinda blah. Yeah, just blah.

Any 30 second commercial tells you the basic plot, and anyone with half a brain can guess how the film ends while sitting in the theater, no surprise. The film lacked surprises throughout. I guess a movie like this needs to have funny situation after funny situation that just build on each other as the characters walk through the narrative. Instead it felt like we just followed the characters through the predictable plot with the occasionally humor found in a line or two. I did laugh during this movie, but that laughter came in brief bursts not a continual laughter at any given scenario. For me, Steve Martin’s character provided some hearty laughs but the rest was few and far between.

So, while this movie provides funny moments and plenty of cute “awwwwwww” moments, it doesn’t shine as a comedy. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are funny ladies without a doubt, but this story needed more. So, this movie falls into the “Throw it in your Netflix queue and let it surprise you a few months from now” category. Don’t expect to be in stitches, but it gives you a few chuckles.


Did you see it? Care to comment?