Son of Rambow is a movie about two unlikely boys, making friends through a common bond … Rambo. I’m a bit late on this review, but this film was released late 2008 and it was really hard to find a copy of the movie.
The Truth
You would think a movie that was nominated for 4 independent film awards would be really promising and solid. The movie was recommended to me by many avid film watchers, it was one of the highest recommended movies I have ever been notified of.
However, Son Of Rambow failed to hit a homerun with me, I think for a few reasons. The film is slow, really slow. Too slow to get attached to the characters, I really never got involved with them at all. While the premise was an entertaining idea, the film really crawls along and takes you along a great many tangents that kept me mostly univolved with the plot.
On a long English summer in the early 80′s, Son of Rambow is about friendship and faith and the tough business of fitting in. We see the story through the eyes of Will, the eldest son of a fatherless Plymouth Brethren family. Will has never been allowed to mix with the other ‘worldlies,’ listen to music or watch TV, until he finds himself caught up in the extraordinary world of Lee Carter, the school terror and a loner himself.
Carter exposes Will to a pirate copy of Rambo: First Blood and from that moment Will’s mind is blown wide open and he’s easily convinced to be the stuntman in Lee Carters’ diabolical home movie.
The idea behind the movie is cute enough, so is the finished home movie, but it really was never enough to consider this a really entertaining movie.
The Action
The film has limited action, besides the moments of the Rambo film and the home movie we get to see in the end.
The Laughs
Perhaps I don’t understand British Humor enough, or I just don’t “Get It”. I really can’t remember a moment where I laughed, although I may have smiled from time to time because the film has moments that reminded me of my childhood and the 80′s.
What’s good about it?
Bill Milner as Will Proudfoot and Will Poulter as Lee Carter, are wonderful child actors who do bring the characters to life.
What’s bad about it?
Its a long, slow ride with a few corny laughs and moments along the way.
You’ll Like It If
You love British movies.
Uninteresting Fact
I had a best friend who moved from Canada to Dubai when we were 8 years old. He would return in the summers and spend them at a local lake, just down the road from out cabin.
One summer, we also made a movie. The premise was about psycho dirt bikers from hell, who would jump out of the bushes and unleash terror on passing by nature walkers. There must have been 6 of us involved in this pathetic production of “Jofa Killers”, and I have no idea what happened to this video to this day.
I suppose my point is, I don’t think any of you would like to see this video, nor would it make a good story for mainstream video. I’m not sure why Son of Rambow got the funding, but my production of Jofa Killers never.
Reminds me of
I think the film tried to replicate Stand By Me, but it really reminded me of the old ABC after school specials they used to run in the 80′s.
The Verdict
Son of Rambow was a slow and rather uneventrul film, nominated for awards because of a lack of cometition, rather than quality.
