Funnier than anything in this vaguely dark comedy is the thought of [Sly] Stallone sitting through it.
Son of Rambow (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:115
Fresh:85
Rotten:30
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: Undeniable heart and charming young leads save the film's nostalgic storyline from suffering at the hands predictability.
Theatrical Release:May 2, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $1,612,881
Synopsis: Writer-director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, who as Hammer & Tongs have made music videos for such groups as Fatboy Slim, Supergrass, Blur, and REM, follow up their 2005 film, THE... Writer-director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, who as Hammer & Tongs have made music videos for such groups as Fatboy Slim, Supergrass, Blur, and REM, follow up their 2005 film, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, with the charming indie SON OF RAMBOW, a love letter to the movies. A success at such festivals as Toronto and Sundance, SON OF RAMBOW stars Bill Milner as Will Proudfoot, a shy, reserved young boy who is different from the other kids because his family is part of the Brethren, a religion that shuns the outside world, not allowing him to have friends at school or to watch television. While in the hallway in school one day because he can't watch an educational film in class, Will gets into a fight with Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a tough kid who gets into trouble all the time. Lee forces Will to help him make a homemade version of the Sylvester Stallone film FIRST BLOOD, but after watching the original, Will is captivated by the movie and writes his own sequel, casting himself as the son of Rambow (he misspells the name of the character). Will and Lee use their imagination and lots of grit to get the project off the ground, bonding as only blood brothers can. But soon the entire school wants to participate in the movie, including ultra-cool French exchange student Didier Revol (Jules Sitruk), jeopardizing the integrity of the production as well as Will and Lee's growing friendship. Milner and Poulter, both making their feature-film debuts, are engaging as the lead characters. Jennings sets SON OF RAMBOW in the 1980s, before cell phones, digital cameras, and YouTube changed the way people communicate. Amid a soundtrack that includes music from such seminal period bands as The Cure and Depeche Mode, the two young boys learn about family and friendship, jealousy and ego as their carefully controlled worlds threaten to implode. [More]
Starring: Will Poulter, Bill Milner, Jules Sitruck, Charlie Thrift
Starring: Will Poulter, Bill Milner, Jules Sitruck, Charlie Thrift, Jessica Stevenson, Neil Dudgeon
Director: Garth Jennings
Director: Garth Jennings
Screenwriter: Garth Jennings
Producer: Nick Goldsmith
Composer: Joby Talbot
Studio: Paramount Vantage
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Release:
Aug 26, 2008
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
- Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital - English
Additional Release Material:
Featurette:
- 1. Boys Will Be Boys: The Making of Son of Rambow
- 2. Son of Rambow Website Winner
Audio Commentary:
- 1. Commentary with Director Garth Jennings, Producer Nick Goldsmith, Bill Milner and Will Poulter
Shorts:
- 1. Garth's Short Film "Aron"
Reviews for Son of Rambow
It's a fun idea, but quite awkwardly staged and, in the end, not particularly engaging.
A feel-good family flick that doesn't pander to the younger members of the equation.
This is a winner, a film to which you can safely take your kids and enjoy yourself.
Waffles between heart-on-its-sleeve candor and winking self-awareness.
Though the film is primarily designed to appeal to viewers in the early-teen demographic, a maturity and intelligence is at work here that will connect with many adults also.
The script is not so much written as assembled, anecdote by anecdote. As a result, you never quite settle in.
It's a mildly startling choice of subject matter, but Jennings takes for granted that even the most innocent cineastes have their sadistic side.
This quite charming film does have a strangeness about it; you feel that not all the pieces fit comfortably together.
I was not so engaged as to be moved . . . and felt impatient at the lack of dramatic pace
It may not all work but Son of Rambow is a totally original and really sweet film with an ultra soft heart
Its heart is surely in the right place. Yet so much of it just doesn't work...that it's hard to get very excited about it.
Jennings and Goldsmith's kid-fueled '80s film proves as inspiring as it is inspired.
The boys' video project is modern enough to stand in contrast to the brick and tweed of the locale, but rather than glossing over that uncomfortable fit, Jennings highlights it with a one-man Flock Of Seagulls.
An almost unbearably tedious kidpic about two fatherless boy opposites using Rambo as a role model.
If you, too, are a son of Rambow, or are from the era of The Lone Ranger or even the Power Rangers, this movie calls to you.
SON OF RAMBOW is full of ideas and imagination, but I think Jennings buries himself with all of his ambition.
Jennings has crafted a work that beautifully -- and humorously -- evokes childhood and the impact of movies on children.
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