Reviewed by Michael Edwards
Stars Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Hynes, Neil Dudgeon, Anna Wing,
Eric Sykes, Jules Sitruk, Paul Ritter, Ed Westwick, Adam Godley | Written by Garth Jennings
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 91 minutes | Directed by Garth Jennings
Everyone loves the heady destruction of the 80s, right? I mean, we all hate the economic excesses, the pollution, the apocalyptic peak of the Cold War and so forth, but we also secretly love it for it's carefree "do-what-you-like" ethos. If anything's proved that recently it's the glorious resurgence of Sly Stallone in Rambo. But perhaps we could enjoy this mischievous disregard of consequences through some sort of device that removes the guilt and blame attached to our grown-up regard for the accumulated knowledge and moral baggage that we carry today. The perfect device: children. We all love children — not in a wrong way, just in an "aahh, they're cute and carefree like I used to be" way.
And so I ramble to my point: Son of Rambow is a much acclaimed British film about childhood, friendship, faith and the magic of movies. It's 1982, it's summer, and we're in the English suburbs. 10-year-old Will (Milner) is a sheltered boy, born into the religious life of the puritanical Plymouth Brethren which has precluded his engagement in the usual childhood joys of TV, movies and music. His only imaginative outlet has been the creation of colourful doodles on the pages of his Bible. One day while sitting outside his classroom as the other children watch an educational film, he encounters his exact opposite — Lee Carter (Poulter). Armed with the tools of his worldly wealth, Lee has decided to make his own movie. When Will goes round to Lee's house and witnesses a pirated copy of First Blood he has an epiphany, and his enthusiasm is soon harnessed by Lee who ropes him in to perform the stunts for his film.
Thus we follow the boys on a colourful, quirky and just plain fun journey which can't help but suck in even the most cynical of viewers. Their labour of love is a triumph of childhood joy, and encompasses the heady mix of media influences that bombarded the impressionable young minds of the time. Lee's gung-ho approach provides scene after scene of mayhem which see Will take on a plethora of dangerous stunts without batting an eyelid. The plot thickens when French exchange students arrive, among them the aloof and painfully trendy Didier (Sitruk) who acts as a comic commentary on the cinema du look of the period, as well ably providing some comic relief and emotional tension between the two leading lads.
The film fizzes and crackles with wondrous cinematic devices that hurl the boys' experiences from the screen. Will visualises his drawings coming to life in all their vivid glory, poorly constructed baddies on their film set spring into action and assail the protagonists, and the sixth form common room turns into a debauched club for the fame-saturated media crowd. Having to hear sanctimonious preaching about the dangers of media influences on a daily basis, it's a breath of fresh air to see a filmmaker so succintly and so entertainingly argue the case for the lighter side of film influences on a burgeoning young imagination. What's more, young stars Milner and Poulter ooze charisma and exude the youthful energy demanded in this piece. There are none of the occasional issues of hammed acting or lightweight scenes, each moment is tackled with an enthusiasm and sincerity demanded of such a buoyant film.
All in all this film shows the fun side of childhood. A joyful counterpoint to the country depicted in Shane Meadows' This is England and a playful accompaniment to the resurgent interest in the 80s action movies, Son of Rambow is a pleasure to watch from start to finish and to my mind has proved that Jennings can shed the shadow of the mediocre Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and make truly great films.
EXTRAS *** A making-of featurette; an interview with stars Bill Milner, Will Poulter; an interview with other star Jessica Hynes; a featurette called Aron: Part 1; a featurette called Geography Lesson; and the theatrical trailer.