BE KIND REWIND — ** — Mos Def, Jack Black, Danny Glover; rated PG-13 (vulgarity, profanity, violence, brief drugs, slurs)

In "Be Kind Rewind," two characters played by Mos Def and Jack Black try to "remake" copies of corrupted, videotape films from a New Jersey-area store.

And in at least one case — the inexplicable, 2001 action-comedy hit "Rush Hour 2" — the remake is actually an improvement on the real film.

Now if only the duo could perform similar miracles with the rest of this comic fantasy. It's not nearly as funny as its premise would suggest, and the movie even becomes a little dull when it tries to make a few points about the differences between commercialism and art.

Mos Def plays Mike, the sole employee at a failing video-rental store owned by the kindly Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover).

What Mike's boss and father figure hasn't told him is that the store is failing. Still, he has left Mike in charge while he mulls over his limited business options.

That may not have been Mr. Fletcher's best decision, though. Mike lets his best pal, crackpot inventor Jerry (Black), into the store. And as it turns out, Jerry's body has become magnetized, which destroys the entire video inventory.

So, to appease the handful of customers, the enterprising duo has to "re-create" the ruined movies. To their surprise, the "Sweded" movies become a hot commodity.

Screenwriter/director Michel Gondry has done similar whimsy in the movies "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) and "The Science of Sleep" (2006).

Mike and Jerry's "Sweded" films — which include "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Ghost Busters" — are done creatively and are goofily amusing. However, his attempts to re-create a Frank Capra-esque, feel-good tone with the rest of the material are less successful.

Also, this is Black at his laziest and most uninspired. And even though rapper-turned-actor Mos Def does fare better, there's very little for veterans Glover and Mia Farrow, and supporting performer Melonie Diaz, to do here.

"Be Kind Rewind" is rated PG-13 for vulgar humor and references (mostly digestive and other bodily functions), scattered profanity, comic violence (slapstick and violent re-creations), brief drug content (an aspirin overdose) and racial slurs. Running time: 101 minutes.

---

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com