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.
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.
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
Garth Jennings, has crafted a small, indie film that - dare I say it? Should I say it? Why not? Is "This Year's Juno."
Although Jennings' screenplay skirts the edges of cliché at times, the young actors (both of whom are making their feature film debut) make every moment ring true.
Flatly ignores any kind of joy-of-filmmaking themes and instead takes the standard coming-of-age route.
Writer/director Garth Jennings captures the innocent ecstasy of boys discovering the elemental power of cinema and the unfettered play of imagination with disarming humor.
A funny, worthy film that -- unlike Sylvester Stallone's one-man army -- loses focus before it completes its mission.
The tone is light and unpretentious and it offers an opportunity for some '80s reminiscing. Ultimately, however, it's forgettable, disposable entertainment.
The word is that even Sly Stallone gave this film a blessing, marking one of the few times that the guy involved with the likes of Judge Dredd and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot has displayed a modicum of good taste.
What could have been an insightful look at how film and television mold our personalities is instead just another film about childhood friendship -- sweet, huggable and toothless.
Son of Rambow is pumped up with all the right kids' ingredients: slapstick, fantasy, alienation and severe adult authority figures. But screenwriter and director Garth Jennings has slammed them all together with little cohesion.
There lies a huge, beating heart that leads to a crescendo of joviality so flawlessly accomplished that your mental applause sign may light up before its all over.
For a film about falling in love with the movies, its insights on them are next to nil.
...much more than a kids' film and should appeal to those who grew up during the 1980's. The good nature of the film will strike a chord with other auds, both older and younger, too.
A bright and very silly film with solid, provocative themes that really stick with us.
Few movies have captured the intoxicating effect of pop culture on kids better than Son of Rambow.
A number of young boys attended the screening I went to, and none of them seemed to be quite sure when they were supposed to laugh.
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