Son of Rambow
Director: Garth Jennings
Cert: 12a
Time: 1 hr 36 mins
This film seems to fall through a number of holes. It is billed as a comedy but is amusing rather than laugh out loud funny. Centred on and thus aimed at children, the classification takes it beyond the bounds of many and some of the themes are quite adult. And for those old enough to remember the Eighties, the occasional drift into surrealism left one slightly bewildered.
All of which might make you think that I didn’t enjoy Son of Rambow, which wouldn’t be true, for at its heart is charm, engendered by the excellent performances of Bill Milner (playing Will Proudfoot) and Will Poulter (Lee Carter). Both go to the same secondary school but at opposite ends of the moral compass. Will has been raised in a strict religious household, where he is even banned from watching the television. Lee’s dysfunctional family background leads him into constant rebellion, be that at school or through minor criminality in the world outside.
Through circumstance the two are thrown together and as their relationship develops they discover a shared love of film. What remains is the story of their effort to remake the iconic 80’s blockbuster Rambo and along the way they learn that their respective lives are not that dissimilar and they grow to appreciate each other’s differences.
Whilst the end is formulaically saccharine what has gone before does manage to address some interesting issues surrounding family life and there are also some genuinely poignant moments. Overall however the film is rather clunky and doesn’t really live up to the word of mouth hype. But, in a world dominated by cynicism and doom and gloom, there is nothing wrong with its feel good message.
Rating: 2.5/5
CA
