Blockbuster Video, which once boasted 9,000 retail outlets is down to one store, located in Bend, Oregon. Many of us have fond memories of Blockbuster with aisles and aisles of Videocassettes and DVDS just begging to be rented. Get ready for a nostalgic trip down Blockbuster lane in this fun title that introduces viewers to the final Oregon store and its enthusiastic and dedicated general manger Sandi Harding (known locally as Blockbuster Mom) and recaps the rise and fall of Blockbuster nationwide. Tons of talking head shots of mostly male actors, comics, movie critics, and former Blockbuster workers and franchise owners pepper the coverage aided by ad clips, animation, and original background music. Narrator Lauren Lapkus fills in details about the store’s beginnings in the 1980s after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that movies, which movie studios previously sold for a high price, could be made available for rent. And the video store business was born, beginning with mom-and-pop establishments that were often later swallowed up as Blockbuster franchises.
Blockbuster fans will relish footage of stores decorated in the familiar blue and yellow colors, staffed by employees in khaki pants and blue polo shirts. And while some of those interviewed, including actors Doug Benson, Eric Close, Ron Funches, Samm Levine, Paul Sheer, and others whose names may or may not be recognizable, offer some insights and humor, it’s when the film closes in on Blockbuster Mom picking up new titles at local stores and repackaging them in Blockbuster cases, repairing antiquated point of sale machines, engaging with customers, hosting an annual employee party, and interacting with family that we fully grasp the significance of the final Blockbuster store and its role as a community spot and conversational hub that streaming services can’t duplicate.
Also interesting is the history of Blockbuster that includes not only the boom times but later corporate mistakes (not striking a deal with Netflix), borrowing heavily against revenue, eliminating late fees, and other bad decisions. Some of the featured actors fondly holding old Blockbuster VCR cases (“heavy as a brick”) and relishing the loud click as the case is closed finalize this walk down memory lane. Credits tell us that the Oregon store remains open, thanks to valued customers who pivoted to curbside service during the height of COVID. Recommended. Aud: C, P.