Chris Roberts
I had no idea what to expect when I started watching "Son of Rambow," but am happy to say that I got much more than I expected. A touching little coming-of-age story about friendship and loyalty that makes you chuckle along the way and root for that awkward little kid in all of us.The Good: Adorable lead cast - particularly Will Poulter does a fantastically mature job creating a sympathetic character with true feelings and realism. The film has a light, wonderful, and adventurous spirit like The Goonies with a deeper sense of friendships and relationships like The Outsiders. It's all wrapped up in a thick layer of 80's nostalgia that works pretty well. There are some very cute moments that cause you to giggle and they're played out with subtlety and charm. The camera-work and audio are first-rate, the sets are spot-on, and the use of animation to portray the child's imagination is done well. The skillful way that such a charming little tale is all based on Rambo shows the cleverness and thought behind it.The Bad: Jessica Hynes as the mother just never worked. The script hinted at inner turmoil and struggle, but the actress played it entirely one-dimensionally. She nullified the effectiveness of most of her scenes. There was a brief couple minutes involving a teacher shoving a pair of scissors up his nose that did not work at all and shouldn't have made it past the editing room. Like most films set in the 70s or 80s, nobody really looks like anybody looked in the 70s or 80s.The Verdict: It would be very hard to not enjoy this film. I think anyone from 12-70 years of age would enjoy watching it with the widest appeal to those of us who were kids in the early 80s. If you're looking for a light, funny, coming-of-age drama, you can't go wrong with Son of Rambow.
Casey Dillard
It isn't often when I pick up a movie out of boredom that it makes me excited about the stories to tell in film, but this was simply wonderful. The love between the two boys was amazing. That Will was so lonely he was grateful for whatever attention was paid him, that Lee was so nourished by Will's adoration and to have someone simply notice him for something besides bad behavior made both of them flawed, lovable and deeply human to me.The comedy is a strong presence in the film, but it is full of heart, sincerity and tender moments. Both of the young boys in the leading roles are notable talents and the brother and exchange student both made for entertaining supporting characters.The payoff of the film is the movie being made within the movie and getting to watch it in its entirety is special and moving. I urge everyone who hasn't watched the film to give it a shot.
Jackson Booth-Millard
I had heard some good things about this film some time after its initial release, on a TV countdown or something, and apparently that it was a surprise hit, so I was very interested in seeing it, from director Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Basically, set in 1982, shy and quiet schoolboy Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) with a family that attend the Plymouth Brethren religious sect, which he is forbidden to watch television or films, including during school lessons. One day in the corridor he meets badly behaved troublesome Lee Carter (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader's Will Poulter), and after both accidentally causing a fish bowl to fall and break Lee volunteers to take the blame, and he pretends that there is torture involved in his punishment. To make up for it Will allows him to take his watch, which belonged to his dead father, and saying that he still owes him for taking the blame Lee wants Will's help to finish the film he is making, inspired by the recently released First Blood at the cinema. Lee is making a film to be entered for the Screen Test Young Film-Makers' Competition, and he is using the home video equipment that belongs to his older brother Lawrence (Ed Westwick) who bullies him, and with this camera he secretly filmed First Blood and makes pirate copies. Will accepts helping make the film doing the stunt work he needs, as he saw the film First Blood himself and can't get it out of his head, he is very enthusiastic about being his own action hero, doing some slightly dangerous stunts. As time goes by what started as nervous tension turns into friendship for the two boys, they even make the pledge to become "blood brothers", but of course Will has to keep his friendship a secret as Lee is said to be a bad influence. New French exchange student Didier Revol (Jules Sitruk) arrives and quickly becomes very popular amongst the curious school boys, and when some of the others find out about this film project he in particular is keen to be part of it, Will says he can join, but Lee feels he is no longer in control and quits. There is some filming done without him, but he does come back when Will is trapped under some unstable structures that collapse at the abandoned power station, even though he was only coming to get the camera back. Lee ends up getting injured himself and forced to go to hospital, and when Lawrence visits him he is angry that he has been using the camera, and that it is broken, and even though Will's mother Mary (Jessica Hynes/Stevenson) isn't happy, she does allow him to be himself and even leaves the Brethren. Lawrence has a look for himself at the footage that has been filmed, and he is impressed, and with Will's help he makes his own participation in the film, a message to his brother. Lee leaves the hospital, and as a surprise he is taken to the cinema, and before the main film Yentl their completed film is Shown, Son of Rambow, at first the audience are tittering, but as they settle into it they love it, and it ends with applause and Lee and Will are reunited. Also starring Neil Dudgeon as Joshua, Eric Sykes as Frank, EastEnders' Anna Wing as Grandma and Sam Kubrick-Finney, Stanley Kubrick's grandson as Danny. Newcomer Milner gives an adorable performance as the quiet and then brightened up boy, and Poulter is also really good as the misbehaving and bully like for a while but slowly changed for the better friend, together they make a great duo. It is a good fun story about two boys making their own film based on the popular Sylvester Stallone hero, the friendship is believable, and the actual filmmaking process makes for some good giggles, and the subplots with the two boys and their home lives makes for realistically dramatic moments, this will appeal to the younger and older audience members, a fun to watch comedy drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for the Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer for Jennings (writer). Very good!
Azlan Lewis
This film is fun to watch and enjoy it is how a shy sheltered boy ends up befriending the misfit outcast of a boy. At first the boy is a bully to the shy one.The shy boy belongs to a strict religious group that shuns all technology and is not allowed to watch television. This is how he meats the bully because his class is going to watch a television program, he has to go out in the hall to do some school work. The "bully" he meets is tossed into the hallway because he's being disruptive.It is fun to watch their antics as they become friends and help each other to make this movie to enter a contest, which they never enter.
