Son of Rambow
Watching Garth Jennings’ Son of Rambow was a complete joy for me. Jennings seemed to have lifted elements from previous film favorites like “Stand By Me”, “Be Kind Rewind” and even the TV series “Freaks and Geeks” but also wisely injected enough originality in the story to keep the film from being dismissed as some sort of copycat. The story focuses on young Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) who’s family is devoted to a religious group called The Plymouth Brethren. Proudfoot encounters school troublemaker Lee Carter (Will Poulter) one day and surprisingly winds up becoming great friends. A good chunk of the movie involves the two of them attempting to make a film to enter into the BBC Youth Filmmaker Competition. Earlier in the story, Proudfoot gets profoundly changed after viewing a bootlegged copy of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo at Carter’s place and sets out to film himself as the “son of Rambo”.
There are some many great things about the movie from the early-80′s backdrop to the Michel Gondry-like segments that blur the lines between imagination and reality. Take for instance the “flying dog” scene where a statue of a dog is attached to a kite and flown in the air. It’s totally unbelievable but very endearing nevertheless and one of the many memorable scenes in the film.
The ending scene pays off with a viewing of the kids’ finished film complete with Carter’s reaction to seeing it at the local movie theater. Director Jennings did a superb job of reigning things in and not let scenes like this become mawkish or manipulative.
Son of Rambo is a pleasant surprise. It’s a small indie film that didn’t get the sort of attention it deserves. The film is absolutely a “must see” in my book. Be sure to check it out when you get a chance.
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Son of Rambow
written and Directed by Garth Jennings
released: 2008, Paramount Vantage (U.S.)
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Watch the son of rambow movie trailer
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