MOLI VIEW™

My expectations were understandably low when I dragged myself out of the house Tuesday night for a screening of the new Jack Black vehicle, Be Kind Rewind. I've got the winter doldrums so badly right now that the idea of watching the cherubic actor do his predictable, smirking, eyebrow dance on the big screen actually sounded good to me. Seasonal affective disorder is all about a bitch, folks.

If I had been paying attention, I might have noticed that the film is the work of the brilliant Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and thus raised the cinematic bar on Be Kind. But I'm kind of grateful for my ignorance. As the picture, which also stars Mos Def and Danny Glover, slowly unfolded, I was transformed by its absurd splendor and powerful (albeit abstract) message.

Set in a crumbling neighborhood video rental store in a fictitious ghetto, the film opens as you would expect any feature starring Jack Black to open: lots of "he so crazy" situational humor, physical comedy, and, naturally, the requisite eyebrow aerobics. But when it achieves liftoff about a third of the way through, Be Kind becomes a totally different creature. Its essence, in essence, is this: No matter where you live or in what circumstance you find yourself, there is a glorious paradise right between your ears. Create something freely and you, in turn, become free.

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