I was not so engaged as to be moved . . . and felt impatient at the lack of dramatic pace
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
It’s hard to make the leap from Stallone’s American jingoism to a nascent British graphic artist’s developing pop whimsy.
SON OF RAMBOW is full of ideas and imagination, but I think Jennings buries himself with all of his ambition.
Like a lot of those home movies we made as children, Son of Rambow has the best of intentions and a great set-up, but the ending falls apart.
For a film about falling in love with the movies, its insights on them are next to nil.
The movie doesn't know if it wants to be a kid's movie (it's not), or just a prepubescent reverie. Either way "Son of Rambow" is a slapdash story told in a slapdash way.
It's a fun idea, but quite awkwardly staged and, in the end, not particularly engaging.
An almost unbearably tedious kidpic about two fatherless boy opposites using Rambo as a role model.
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.
Quirky but curiously irritating British period comedy...tries hard to be different, only to prove that different doesn't necessarily mean better, or even good.
It's really a touching kids movie about youthful imagination and family values. That's not what I wanted!
You know the Sundance drill: Eventually, the whole school is caught up in their good-natured artistic high jinks, and all involved learn the heartwarming lesson that there's a place in the world for a group of loners.
The tone is light and unpretentious and it offers an opportunity for some '80s reminiscing. Ultimately, however, it's forgettable, disposable entertainment.
Flatly ignores any kind of joy-of-filmmaking themes and instead takes the standard coming-of-age route.
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.
While writer-director Garth Jennings is smart enough to realize he can’t merely traffic in nostalgia, the subplots he devises are painfully predictable.
Jennings and Goldsmith make good with the implications of their pseudonym [Hammer & Tongs], treating the proceedings as the world's biggest, baddest science project.
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


