Review: Son Of Rambow

Son Of Rambow

OPENING DATE: 05/02/2008

STUDIO: Paramount Vantage

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge

Make Believe. Not War.

Opening Statement

An audience favorite at Sundance, Son of Rambow is endearing to the point of tooth decay. A joyous affair that practically drowns audiences with seemingly inexhaustible amounts of charm and whimsy, it is an all-singing, all-dancing explosion of nostalgia, and the perfect film to usher in the summer.

Facts of the Case

Young Will (Bill Milner) is a lonely young boy who lives a strictly pious and religious life under the watchful tutelage of his doting mother (Jessica Stevenson, Spaced). Growing up during the 1980s in small-town England, but allowed no television, movies or popular culture of any kind, he has little in the way of friends, having no experiences to share or relate to any other boy at school. He lives in his head, doodling endlessly in his notebook, crafting elaborate fantasy worlds with paper and pencil.

But when Will runs afoul of Lee Carter (Will Poulter) his life forever changes. The local hooligan and terror of the neighborhood, he finds Will to be a pushover and soon bullies him into participating in his wild lifestyle as a bumbling sidekick. The two boys sneak into a showing of First Blood at a local movie theater, which thrills both boys—but for Will, it is nothing short of a religious experience. Risking the fury of his strict mother, Will embraces his newfound love of cinema, and the two boys decide to put their boundless energy and enthusiasm to work.

Deciding to create a film for a local competition titled “Son of Rambow”, the two slowly work out the plot details and start filming. Amateurish at first, more and more curious kids at school find their way into the project, including a popular foreign exchange student, and the film rapidly increases in size and scope. Soon, the project has a life of its own, much to Will and Lee’s horror, and their newly found friendship teeters on the edge.

The Evidence

A charmingly original film, Son of Rambow is a gem from start to finish. Imagine Jack Black and Mos Def from Be Kind, Rewind sweding Danny Boyle’s Millions, and you would be somewhere in the wild and wonderful world of this nostalgic romp through the 1980s, seen through the eyes of two young, impressionable youths falling in love with cinema for the first time. And with a Rambo film, no less! It is a love letter to childhood, to the age of innocence, and to that one glorious moment when a young boy or girl sees a film for the first time and realizes the incredible possibilities of the art.

Son Of Rambow is the sophomore theatrical offering from director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith (a.k.a. Hammer & Tongs, design firm and music video directing house extraordinaire responsible for some of the more memorable music videos from Blur, Supergrass, Fatboy Slim and R.E.M.). As the follow-up to their oft-maligned and conceptually challenging adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a good-natured (if ill-fated) affair that unraveled under the weight of its own material that failed to impress both fans and studio executives alike, this film has a lot riding on the line for the duo. Going back to basics, they opted to tackle a more personal (and self-penned) subject, a concept Jennings has been trying to pitch to executives for years, one with obvious inspiration from their own young lives.

Similar to other music video visionaries transitioning to cinema (Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry to name a few) the pair have a keen eye for design, charm and quirky exuberance, climaxing in the elaborately outrageous film-within-a-film assembled by Will, Lee and their friends. We get to see bits and pieces of “Son of Rambow” as the film progresses, the project taking on a life of its own as lush and vibrant as the feature film itself. At first just a vessel for their own personal imagination, it soon captures the whims and desires of his friends, and then the entire school as everyone adds their own personal touches, cascading in size and scope. Soon, it moves from a tiny project to a surreal, full-blown movie production with extras, explosions and sets, and it is a marvelous thing to behold. Despite the elaborateness, it is exactly what every kid in the world dreams of doing when they are ten years old—making a movie of limitless potential.

The perfect film to usher in the summer, Son Of Rambow effortlessly washes away frustrations, anger and resentment towards the modern world, transporting audiences into the glorious heyday of reckless youth and abandon, into a place where two kids and a video camera literally can have the entire world at their fingertips. Set in small-town England surround by rolling hills, bubbling creeks and rural quaintness, the two children, unlikely friends at the start, soon bond and grow together; they become united in the face of their adversity and troubled childhoods, lost within the glory of creativity and hand-drawn scribbles in notebooks (animated in front of our eyes). Despite the modest budget, loving care and detail is apparent in every scene. Both the lead actors do a fine job despite having little in the way of professional experience, and it is especially nice to see Jessica Stevenson get some screen time here.

For Will and Lee, their project has private and cathartic ramifications—it is a way of coming to terms with their own demons. For Will, it is a desperate attempt to rationalize the absence of his father in his life, which hurts him in a way he does not fully comprehend yet. For Lee, the film is about trying to find his place in this wild world that shuns his antics and attitudes, about making his mark and showing everyone he is not a screw-up. Both boys soon realize the film is bigger than their own wants and desires, and even their own friendship. Not all is sunshine and roses in their lives, but if they can finish the film, then just maybe everything will work out in the end. It is that determination, that childlike stubbornness that permeates every element of Son Of Rambow and leaves audiences with a smile on their face that needs to be scrubbed off your face with a jackhammer.

And rest assured, you Stallone-ophobics; no prior knowledge of First Blood is required. It makes some of the jokes funnier, but the film is so thoroughly endearing that even the most peace-loving movie-goer will adore it.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Not much to rebut. Trying to find fault with a film this feel-good and inspiring is like trying to wrangle up the courage to kick a puppy dog, or to punch an orphan. Sure, you might be able to do it, but at what cost?

Closing Statement

Word of mouth will drive Son Of Rambow to be the first break out hit of the summer. Jennings and Goldsmith may have come up short with Hitchhiker’s, but Son of Rambow is a soul-cleansing, redeeming, slam-dunk success, and you owe it to yourself to seek out this film and attend the first screening possible. A feel-good film is a fine and wonderful thing, but it is another thing entirely to find a film that makes you feel like a better human being for having watched it.

The Verdict

9/10

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