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Movies / On DVD / Son of Rambow
Son of Rambow

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Son of Rambow (2008)

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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.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Comedies

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 Details]
 
 

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

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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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.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
05/09/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

The script sizzles with humour, but more importantly... it carries an emotional weight.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
06/25/07
Amber Wilkinson
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film

Integrates its slapstick genre pastiche into a thoughtful story about peer pressure, neglect and yearning

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/03/07
Ben Walters
Ben Walters
Time Out

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.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
05/19/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

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.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/30/08
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

All part of growing up, an experience Son of Rambow portrays with genuine insight.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
05/08/08
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

Overall, this is a funny and tough-minded slice of weird life, as well as a sweet if wayward ode to movie love.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
05/02/08
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

This Sundance hit is as clever and charming as you hope it will be, though, regrettably, not consistently so.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
05/09/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

Waffles between heart-on-its-sleeve candor and winking self-awareness.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
09/05/08
Brian Duff
Brian Duff
FILMINK (Australia)

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.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
04/08/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

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.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
05/09/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Son of Rambow is an adorable schoolboy nostalgia trip, a perfect example of everything independent cinema should be.

Full Review Source: Mansized | comment Comment
05/13/08
Chris Laverty
Chris Laverty
Mansized

Son of Rambow maintains just the right tone throughout with its guileless, makeshift charm.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
05/01/08
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

First-time actors Milner and Poulter are gifted and natural.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
05/02/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

a winner!

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
04/19/08
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

A joyous, touching story of friendship, mischief and imagination.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/09/08
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/06/08
Dan Jolin
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine

It serves as both a coming of age film and a love letter to the power of movies.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
05/23/08
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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 Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
05/16/08
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Full of quirk, slapstick and dry British humor, Son of Rambow is a delight, but too often forgets to stay true to its heart.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
05/01/08
Dezhda Gaubert
Dezhda Gaubert
E! Online
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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