Original idea, but 'Be Kind' unwinds

I have absolutely no problem with the utter silliness of Michel Gondry's new, weird comedy "Be Kind Rewind."

I'm OK with Danny Glover playing Fletcher, owner of a present-day VHS-only tape store that refuses to convert to DVD -- and he still gets customers.

I'm OK with Jack Black playing Jerry, a mouthy anti-energy-plant activist who, after being electrocuted, becomes a human magnet that attracts VHS tapes -- primarily plastic -- while metal objects all around him aren't affected at all.

I'm also OK with Mos Def playing Mike, Fletcher's dim-bulb employee, who joins Jerry in a scheme to re-make Ed Wood-esque rip-offs of famous movies such as "The Lion King" and "King Kong" -- and customers love them more than the originals.

"Be Kind Rewind" is a great premise in search of a great movie. But this cold and discombobulated student-level comedy, isn't it.

Gondry, whose collaboration with Charlie Kaufman produced the smart and edgy romance "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," devised a wonderful idea, then became stymied as to how to actually execute it.

The story involves the time Fletcher leaves his shop to go snooping on how his DVD competitor, West Coast Video, does business. ("Fewer titles, more copies!" he observes.) Fletcher has a deadline to raise $60,000 for roof repairs or the city will condemn his store. Meanwhile, in his absence, the magnetized Jerry accidentally erases every single VHS tape.

So when loyal customer Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) shows up demanding "Ghostbusters," Mike and Jerry concoct a grand plan: They ask her to return in two and a half hours, during which time they'll shoot their own version of "Ghostbusters" on VHS tape.

Miss Falewicz loves the quickie, low-tech version of "Ghostbusters. She orders up another tape, this time "Driving Miss Daisy."

Soon, other customers request movies such as "Robocop," "Rush Hour 2" and "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," prompting Jerry and Mike to join forces with Alma (Melonie Diaz), the sister of a dry cleaning clerk, to recreate these classics on a budget of a few pennies.

"These aren't just simple remakes!" Alma says. They're so funny and inventive and preposterous, they almost make "Be Kind" into a mediocre comedy. But not quite.

Outside of some ingenious methods for replicating major Hollywood moments on a backyard budget (My favorite is Mike defying gravity as the jogging astronaut in "2001: A Space Odyssey"), "Be Kind" has absolutely zero, as in zilch, chemistry between the characters.

A romantic moment where Mike comes on to Alma by commenting on her feminine mustache simply goes awry.

This is one long, drawn-out movie where some of the dialogue feels improvised, and not in a good way.

Eventually, "Be Kind" comes to a sweet and gentle finale where Gondry portrays movies as a source of comfort and community for people in vanishing neighborhoods.

"They are stock holders of their own happiness!" Alma says about the store's customer base.

This is too little, too late as Gondry attempts to milk some Frank Capra community values from his meandering movie, one where every intriguing idea stems from the fantastic and absurd.

This film might have worked, had Gondry given in to his imagination and allowed his story to go to a full gallop.

He never lets go of the reins of realism, however, and they pull up short on the most liberating, purely silly aspects of "Be Kind."

"Be Kind Rewind"

Two stars

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Sigourney Weaver

Directed by: Michel Gondry

Other: A New Line Cinema release. Rated PG-13 (sexual references); 101 minutes