Jack Black and Mos Def made a fake 1930s biopic in a parking lot. It's art.
The (partially) true story of American jazz pianist Thomas “Fats” Waller and the little town of Passaic, New Jersey. As seen in Michel Gondry's "Be Kind Rewind"
Acting
Mos Def's committed Fats Waller despite visible boom mics
Production
Zero-budget 1930s period detail is aggressively charming
Writing
Conflates real Waller history with pure nonsense beautifully
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in one day during Be Kind Rewind production; Gondry let Black and Mos Def improvise most of the '1930s' dialogue.
The real Thomas 'Fats' Waller was a Harlem stride piano legend who actually wrote 'Ain't Misbehavin''—none of which appears here, which is kinda the point.
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