Went to see Be Kind Rewind last weekend, written and directed by Michel Gondry, who co-wrote and directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and wrote and directed Science of Sleep (previously reviewed here).

In Be Kind Rewind Danny Glover owns a VHS Video shop, and he plays father figure and boss to Mos Def, who is friends with lunatic mechanic Jack Black. The Video shop is under pressure from commercial property redevelopers and is having a hard time competing in the digital age.

When Danny Glover goes on a reconnaissance mission he leaves Mos Def in charge of the shop, under instruction not to let Jack Black near the shop… of course things go awry when Jack Black manages to erase all the tapes in the shop in one fell swoop.

In order to try to hide the situation they recruit Melonie Diaz and begin to make their own versions of all the films – a process which becomes known as ‘sweding’.

How do you say ‘this is a lovely little film’ without sounding horribly patronising? I don’t know, so just call me horribly patronising. If you go to this film with grand expectations you are bound to be disappointed, but go to see a small film with a big heart and it delivers in spades.

Be Kind Rewind looks like a bunch of friends having a laugh making a movie on a shoe string budget… which is also what is about… was this a directorial decision or a happy coincidence? Regardless, it works, and you can’t help but have fun watching these nutcases have fun.

Sweding is now becoming a craze on the internet, and if you fancy yourself as a sweder, check out the competition to swede Irish films. Sorry everyone, Once has already been Sweded… and actually this entry has nearly everything covered…