By The Associated Press
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
"Be Kind Rewind" — The latest fantasy from the exceedingly fertile imagination of writer-director Michel Gondry contains a wonderful nugget of an idea that will appeal to both regular moviegoers and hardcore film geeks. The frantically useless Jerry (Jack Black) gets zapped by an electromagnetic field while trying to sabotage a power plant in Passaic, N.J., and ends up accidentally erasing every tape at the video store where his longtime friend, the low-key Mike (Mos Def), works. The two hatch a scheme to re-shoot a bunch of movies, starting with "Ghostbusters," and rent them out to unsuspecting customers like the dippy Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow, barely acting). They call the process "sweding" — as if the films came from Sweden, which is why it takes so long to get them in stock. Not only do people in town not mind, they fall in love with the makeshift movies which helps revitalize the run-down store, owned by the old-school Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover). "Be Kind Rewind" could have been a clever, biting satire about pop culture but instead feels too fluffy and sweet. Some of the images are fun, like Black sitting in the back seat of a car wearing a dress for "Driving Miss Daisy," but it would have been even more amusing if Gondry had spent more time showing us the process of remaking individual films, rather than the quick-hit montages he's concocted. Unlike "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which achieved real poignancy about a different kind of erasing, "Be Kind Rewind" falls into the same category as Gondry's "The Science of Sleep": too silly, and straining too hard to be weird. PG-13 for some sexual references. 101 min. Two stars out of four.
• Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
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"Charlie Bartlett" — This offbeat teen comedy makes you feel as if you've just watched three episodes of a new TV series you can't wait to see more of — one that's so funny and smart and unpredictable, it would probably only survive one season on the air, if that, then gain a cult following on DVD. Anton Yelchin, who's had leading roles in the little-seen "Fierce People" and "House of D" and supporting parts in "Alpha Dog" and "Hearts in Atlantis," should become better known after this, if there is any justice in the world. The fresh-faced, young actor absolutely shines as the title character, a wealthy kid who gets booted out of his elite academy, ends up in public school and becomes instantly popular when he starts doling out psychological advice in the boys' bathroom (as well as copious meds, courtesy of the family's shrink). Sure, there's some familiarity in the directing debut from longtime editor Jon Poll — shades of Ferris Bueller and Max Fischer from "Rushmore." Still, Yelchin has an unflagging sweetness and likability about him, even as he repeatedly gets into trouble with the principal, played with mounting anger and vulnerability by Robert Downey Jr. The chief source of his frustration comes from Charlie's budding relationship with his daughter, a sarcastic, strong-willed drama student (Kat Dennings). Hope Davis has some hilarious moments as Charlie's flaky mother, whose idea of a bonding activity is taking him to a wine tasting. R for language, drug content and brief nudity. 97 min. Three stars out of four.
• Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
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"Vantage Point" — This preposterous yarn relies on a quickly strained gimmick — the shooting of the U.S. president shown over and over from different characters' viewpoints — to cover up the fact that it's less of a story than a commotion of human pool balls clattering against one another in ways that defy sense and even physics. The gimmick must have looked good on the page, as director Pete Travis rounded up a superb cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt. The repetitive segments gradually spell out the absurd machinations setting the assassination plot in motion while the president presides at a terrorism summit in Spain. At first, it's annoying as the action continually rewinds to play things back from another perspective. The ham-fisted manner in which the filmmakers present those transitions eventually becomes laughable, as do the outrageous plot twists. PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language. 90 min. One and a half stars out of four.
• David Germain, AP Movie Writer
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