This is a must-see film that will not only touch your heart but also your funny bone. It's refreshing to find two filmmakers who have so much passion and boyhood spirit involved in their filmmaking processes.
Son of Rambow (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
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
The script sizzles with humour, but more importantly... it carries an emotional weight.
Integrates its slapstick genre pastiche into a thoughtful story about peer pressure, neglect and yearning
Son of Rambow conveys the passion and imagination of these kids... But what the film also does is to place their fantasies in a very real context.
Wistful and a little wonky, playfully recreating a fanciful early '80s UK summer, Son of Rambow definitely feels like someone's personal experiences reinterpreted for public consumption.
All part of growing up, an experience Son of Rambow portrays with genuine insight.
Overall, this is a funny and tough-minded slice of weird life, as well as a sweet if wayward ode to movie love.
This Sundance hit is as clever and charming as you hope it will be, though, regrettably, not consistently so.
Waffles between heart-on-its-sleeve candor and winking self-awareness.
A delightfully eccentric fantasy, flush with laughs and displays of fantastical ink-stained escapism; an unforgettable triumph of heart and giggles. One of the few assuredly must-see films of 2008.
A heartfelt, feel-good movie that underscores one of the great things about the cinema: Going to the movies is not a passive or solitary experience but one that brings us together, in a group, to try to understand how other people live and behave.
Son of Rambow is an adorable schoolboy nostalgia trip, a perfect example of everything independent cinema should be.
Son of Rambow maintains just the right tone throughout with its guileless, makeshift charm.
A potentially disposable, tongue-in-cheek First Blood pisstake turns out to be a deeply effective, surprisingly touching tale of family and childhood friendship. If you only see one Rambo movie this year, make sure it’s this one.
It serves as both a coming of age film and a love letter to the power of movies.
We cringe and laugh at -- and are ultimately moved by -- their clumsiness and innocence. And it endears us to the Rambo films in ways we never could have anticipated.
Full of quirk, slapstick and dry British humor, Son of Rambow is a delight, but too often forgets to stay true to its heart.
Latest News for Son of Rambow
August 25, 2008:
RT on DVD: Watch Uwe Boll Box Critic, Heroes Season Two Clips
It's a good week to catch up on your favorite shows before the new TV season begins (Heroes Season Two) and a good week to satisfy your curiosity for a certain guilty pleasure... More...
May 01, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Iron Man Is Heroic, Made of Honor Isn't
This week at the movies, we've got metal-plated superheroes (Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow) and matrimonial mishaps (Made of Honor, starring Patrick... More...
April 23, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: Craig's Fool Has Disasterous Opening
Daniel Craig's new film - Flashbacks of a Fool - suffers a disastrous opening weekend, coming in at only 11th in the charts. Fool's Gold and Happy Go Lucky are the big successes More...
April 16, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: Sony's 21 Gamble pays off
Gambling drama 21 cleans up at the UK box office this week, taking both the number one spot and twice-as-much cash as another film. George Clooney however should maybe stick to... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Son of Rambow at Rotten Tomatoes
- Son of Rambow at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


