Review of Son of Rambow (2007) by Cj S — 01 Sep 2010

"Son of Rambow" is all about the importance of freedom and friendship in childhood. Now, you might take one look at the amateurish cover art, think to yourself, "Yeah, typical coming-of-age themes," and pass it over, but that would be a terrible mistake.

The film has a fun premise that only gets better in the film's execution. The two leads, English schoolboys in the 80s, begin their relationship as polar opposites. Lee, who is almost never NOT getting into trouble, basically enslaves the poor Will, who, due to his family's religious beliefs, has been forbidden from watching television and films and associating with kids outside his puritanical circle of Brethren.

Of course, the two boys eventually bond, and, after Lee inadvertently exposes the innocent Will to a pirated copy of "First Blood," Will becomes hellbent on completing the film Lee hopes to enter into a young filmmaker's contest. Unleashing his pent up imagination, Will helps to transform the film into an unofficial spin-off of his new hero's film franchise.

"Son of Rambow" follows the general guideline most films of its type adhere to, including the trope that bad-boy Lee doesn't exactly have the happiest family situation and Will's religious mother learning a thing or two from her son, even as he rebels against their puritanical religious beliefs, but director Garth Jennings, who also directed the enjoyably silly theatrical adaptation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," likewise keeps everything whimsical and fun. Bill Milner and Will Poulter, as Will and Lee respectively, are great as the two young filmmakers, who are likely destined to be the next Spielberg and Lucas (though, hopefully, without one of them also falling to the Dark Side...).

Despite the presence of children, though, the film isn't exactly a film meant for children. Sure, it's whimsical and imaginative, with plenty to say about the bonds of friendship and the importance of following dreams, and children will undoubtedly find it just as enjoyable as the adults, but most parents, I imagine, would also probably be shocked at the amount of profanity scattered about in the dialogue. If you're not too nitpicky about these details, I can imagine it would be a great film for families with somewhat older kids, however. I know that "Son of Rambow" would've likely been held as one of my own favorites had I seen it as a kid. If you can follow the mother's example and let go of any misgivings you might have about these small factors, it's very likely you might find yourself falling for "Son of Rambow"'s many outstanding charms.