Son of Rambow

Rating PG13 Formats DVD Genre comedy Starring Neil Dudgeon, Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Stevenson, Jules Sitruk Directed by Garth Jennings Publisher Paramount

Garth Jennings made a very slick choice in adding a “W” to the end of the name of Sylvester Stallone’s infamous man made of muscle. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I think of when I hear “Son of Rambow” is: “How many sequels can one man make—even if that man is a god amongst mere mortals, like Sly Stallone?”  But there is no need to fret about seeing an aging Rambo fighting a 20-year-old for the sake of his pride. This sweet and funny romp tells the story of two unlikely friends who idolize the macho man, and set out to make their own fantastic guerilla war epic and submit it to a young filmmaker’s contest.

The film festival—and the movie itself—is the idea of Lee Carter (the hilarious little powerhouse of an actor, Will Poulter), the resident bully with family problems to spare. He meets super-sheltered Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) one day in the hallway at school; Lee for causing mischief in gym, Will because he is not allowed to watch class documentaries (or do much of anything that keeps capitalism alive) due to his family’s fundamentalist faith. Will bides his time by drawing and letting his imagination run wild on paper. And it is safe to say that the color combinations, images and characters that this little boy thinks of are truly magical, and can only be the product of a creatively stifled loner armed with a Bible to draw in. My personal favorite is his picture of a flying dog. This hallway meeting eventually evolves into Lee’s scheme to get Will to act for him in his film. While Lee attends to his leech of a brother, as he constantly does, Will happens to see “Rambo: First Blood” on his TV screen while he’s gone. Having not laid eyes on anything film-related before, Will is immediately transported and filled with adrenaline. The movie becomes a way of life for Will, who has had so much unlived life bubbling within his tiny frame for so long.

What really works about this movie is the development of the friendship between Will and Lee. Jennings does it right by making Lee the kind of bully that everyone immediately loves for his charm. It is slightly jarring to see him attend to his thankless brother so diligently at first, but that element of the story later comes full circle for Lee’s character and turns out to be quite touching. Will, however, is the exact opposite of a slick rebel. He and his quiet, ruthlessly religious family are close and polite with each other. He is adorably naïve as he follows Lee’s callous stunt directions, such as being shot off of a ladder with the jet stream of a fire hose. But as their relationship progresses, we see how truly sincere and talented both of these boys are.

Jennings also does a great job with pinpointing each boy’s motive for making this movie. It becomes a sort of saving grace for both of them. Lee’s desire to gain his brother’s affection feeds his need for accomplishment, while Will breaks free from his controlled life.

A problem I have with the film is that it takes a very dark turn at its climax. I won’t reveal too much, but let’s just say it doesn’t quite fit with the charisma of the earlier portions. But, thankfully, Jennings recovers very nicely and leaves us with a genuinely sweet tale. What else could an audience ask for besides two delightful 10-year-olds in 1980s England having the time of their lives and touching our hearts? Not to mention that the whole 1980s thing is done hilariously—the costumes are completely amazing in that they’re pretty legitimate yet totally outrageous. That’s really the only way to describe the ‘80s though, isn’t it? Also, there’s this REALLY COOL French exchange student who graces their school for a few weeks, and totally rules the school. He had his moment of stardom in England. Will our funny, friendly boy heroes have theirs as well? Rent this gem of a story this Tuesday, August 26th, and find out—you won’t regret it. Rent it if only to see the wonderful 10-year-old Poulter recording “Rambo” in a movie house off the big screen… while smoking a cigarette. Perfection.