Son of Rambow
Wednesday, 02 Apr 2008 16:00
Bill Milner and Lee Poulter star in the superb Son of Rambow
Directed by Garth Jennings, out April 4th in cinemas, starring Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Hynes, Jules Sitruk, Neil Dudgeon, running time 97mins.
In a nutshell…
Imagination runs wild in 80s homage
What's it all about?
Will Proudfoot (Milner) has had a sheltered childhood after growing up under the umbrella of the strict Plymouth Brethren religious sect, without access to music, television or film, so when a chance encounter with school troublemaker Lee Carter (Poulter) allows Will to a life-changing viewing of a pirate copy of Rambo: First Blood, his young mind is blown. The unlikely duo begin to make their own sequel to the film as Lee attempts to submit an entry to the popular Screen Test competition, only for the arrival of a group of French exchange students - led by the charismatic Didier Revol (Sitruk) - to drive a wedge between the fledgling friendship and threaten their ambitious movie project.
To watch the trailer on inthenews.co.uk, click here
Who's in it?
Bill Milner makes his movie debut as the imaginative Will and shows a Freddie Highmore-esque charm, mining that magical combination of juvenile exuberance and world-worn sorrow so potently used by Highmore and Haley Joel Osment in his heyday. Will Poulter is also in his first role as the roguish Lee and exhibits great comic timing, though the emotional scenes called for by his character's confused family dynamic possibly push the young actor too far. Jules Sitruk is hilariously cool as the inspiring Didier while Spaced's Jessica Hynes is as loveable as ever, even when her role as the domineering Plymouth Brethren matriarch should provoke audience loathing.
Writer/director Garth Jennings established the Hammer & Tongs production company with Nick Goldsmith after leaving art college and set about a lucrative career of music video direction (for the likes of Bluer, Supergrass and REM), before moving into moviedom with their ambitious adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
As an example…
"Is this where you live?" - Will
"Yeah, yeah., this is my house… course it isn't, you idiot, keep peddling." - Lee
"Skills… Skills on toast." - Lee
"It's gonna be skill." - Will
"Skill?" - Lee
"Yeah." - Will
"Yeah, it doesn't sound right when you say things like me… Just keep to your spazzy way of saying things." - Lee
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?
It's far too British and small to get a look in, but Milner's impressive work could grab some best newcomer nods in UK-based award ceremonies while Jennings' direction goes from strength to strength, exhibiting an enjoyable mix between comedy beats and action-packed flourishes.
What the others say
"This is a joyous film. It's about making friends, making movies and having a great time; a movie for anybody and everybody, especially those with a love of the 80s." - Filip Vukcevic, IGN Movies
"Son of Rambow is pumped up with all the right kids' ingredients: slapstick, fantasy, alienation and severe adult authority figures. But screenwriter and director Garth Jennings has slammed them all together with little cohesion." - Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter
So is it any good?
In its best moments, it's utterly fantastic. As we move from early 80s suburban ennui to the wondrous world of Will's over-active imagination, a mischievous and mechanical Joby Talbot score flutters over Jennings' frantic camerawork and it's all too easy to find yourself swept up by the unadulterated - literally - unrestrained joy of Lee and Will's efforts to produce their Rambo spin-off. The rescue of a drowning Will is saved from cheesiness by the chemistry between the two leads, creating a wholly believable friendship and moments of comic gold fly thick and fast, whether it be the rapidly-changing hairstyles of Didier's English disciples, Lee's well-intentioned put-downs to the awkward Will or the superb recreation of the mysterious world of the sixth-form common room as an illicit nightclub, with cocaine replaced by sherbet dip. Keep a look-out during the staff-room scene as well, with Hammer & Tongs' former video subjects, such as Travis and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, nestled in the smoky background.
It's not entirely successful, however, with a loss of focus in the final act, and the extensive screen-time given to the admittedly-charismatic Didier detracting from the far-more-absorbing double act between Will and Lee. It's also a little confusing that a movie less than 100 minutes long can feel too long and the climactic showing of Will and Lee's movie feels rushed.
Nonetheless, it's a very British, extremely heartwarming gem of a film. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to dress up like Rambo and go rampaging through woodland.
8/10
Lewis Bazley
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