"Be Kind Rewind" is like an ocean wave that takes a long -- long -- time to reach the shore. When it finally arrives, it does so with a gentle splash instead of a thundering crash.

The movie, written and directed by Michel Gondry, stars Jack Black and Mos Def as friends in Passaic, N.J., who try to re-create the inventory of a video store that has been accidentally wiped out.

Black's character of Jerry had tried to sabotage the neighborhood power plant, but the plant sabotaged him, and he ended up "magnetized." When Jerry wandered through the store, a throwback stocked only with VHS copies, he erased all the tapes.

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters.

Well, not the real ones but the ones played by Jerry and Mike (Mos Def) as they hastily remake or "Swede" the movies before the store's owner (Danny Glover) returns from a trip. That leads to homemade, compressed, cheapie versions of such hits as "Ghostbusters," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "RoboCop," among others.

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'Be Kind Rewind'

2 1/2 stars = Average
Ratings explained

• Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def.
• Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references.
• Web site: bekindmovie.com

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The men recruit a woman (Melonie Diaz) from a local business to join them, with surprising renter results. Mixed in with this merriment is a thread about jazz pianist Fats Waller, a hero to Glover's character and a surprisingly important part of the story.

"Be Kind Rewind," which also features Mia Farrow as a store customer, has a slow-to-build goofy, low-key charm. Although Black's zaniness is unleashed, the movie produces more smiles than belly laughs as it celebrates the spirit of neighborhood and community, including the one that permeates the dark of a movie theater.