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Capone wants to be a SON OF RAMBOW, too!
Hey all. Capone in Chicago here.
Allow me to jump on the bandwagon with both feet and pledge my love for SON OF RAMBOW, a film that not only captures the first moment when you realized that you loved movies, but also personifies that instant in your life when you realized it was okay to be creative and different (some of you may not have had that moment yet, but don't give up!) It's also the film that comes closest to reminding me what it must have been like for those kids who did the shot-for-shot remake of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK back in the '80s. If a film ever gets made of that story, I'm guessing it will feel a lot like this one.
Newcomer Bill Milner plays Will Proudfoot, a young British lad who has grown up in the 1980s without a father and in a highly restrictive religious household. He's not allowed to watch movies of any sort, which is why when a teacher is about to play a documentary for the class on a certain subject, Will must leave the classroom and sit in the hall. In the hall is where Will meets Lee Carter (Will Poulter, another newcomer), the school troublemaker who never misses the opportunity to swindle and con a classmate. Lee comes from a well-off household, although his parents are rarely home to provide guidance. For a little extra cash, Will totes Lee's brother's giant video camera into the local cinema to bootleg the latest films, including FIRST BLOOD, which introduced the world to the character of John Rambo. Lee has his heart set on making a short film for a local competition, and he enlists his new friend Will to be in it. While hiding in Lee's basement for an extended time, Will watches the legendary Stallone movie about the man who could take on 200 aggressors with little more than a knife and his training, and his life is never the same.
The two boys set out to make their short film, which Will decides will be a sequel of sorts to FIRST BLOOD in which he plays the son of John Rambo (the "Rambow" of the title comes from Will missing the opening credits of the film and never seeing how the character's name is spelled). Will goes from shy child whose only creative outlet is drawing funny cartoons on every flat surface he can get his hands on to amateur stuntman and actor for his friend's movie. While the boys attempt to keep their project a secret from Lee's older brother, Will's overbearing mother (comic actress Jessica Stevenson, in a nice dramatic turn as the lonely, slightly desperate widow), and their fellow students, word gets out that the kids are up to something, and soon everybody wants to be a part of the action. A too-cool-for-words French exchange student (Jules Sitruk) wants a co-lead role, while other kids want to be production assistants, 2nd unit directors, special effects guys, you name it. The size and the scope of the production causes a rift between our two heroes (anyone seeing a Hollywood parallel here?) and tests their friendship.
SON OF RAMBOW is the work of producer Nick Goldsmith and writer-director Garth Jennings (collectively known as Hammer & Tongs, makers of recent film version of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY), whose passion for the subject matter and the art of filmmaking is infectious. The film is overflowing with energy and laughs, and I may have to resort to daring you not to be entertained by this rousing little masterpiece. On top of this great story, Hammer & Tongs have created one of the quintessential films about growing up in the UK during the 1980s. The soundtrack alone is nearly worth the price of admission, and the accurate depictions of the clothes and the attitudes is flawless without being an exaggeration. The emotional heart of Son of Rambow is the friendship, and I haven't been this moved by a film about two great childhood buddies since Stand By Me. This is a work that both children and adults can love and embrace equally, and I will consider you not seeing it (assuming it opens somewhere near you) a betrayal to all that is good about movies. The end.
Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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Come on, buddy, we're interested in Indiana Jones these days.Indiana Jones!
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My knee-jerk sarcasm got the best of me.
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Loved this flick.
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I can't wait to see it.
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I just get to see this movie on DVD. kind of shit they shouldn't be allowed to make. I see why they changed the title: Stallone would sue their skinny bristish asses man! I like sequels but if you are going to do a sequel they should at least make it a bit like the previous films. Like I said: shit man!
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That is all. Nice review.
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This movie represents all that you can make when you are obsessed with Wes Anderson films.
Its a cute a film, and that is what ultimately saves it, but Jesus, come on....take Wes's dick out of your mouth.
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Looking forward to this flick a lot.
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...I thought it was an overly saccharin piece of disney-esque paint by numbers mediocrity. Just because it namechecks a great film, that doesn't make it a great film itself, although the filmmakers seemed to think that was the case. I'd say that this one is only going to truly impress those people who hailed Be Kind, Rewind was cinematic brilliance. This isn't a great film, hell, I wouldn't even say it's a good film. No, it's a "nice" film. A safe film. A film that relies heavily on the baggage the viewer brings with them in order to have any real impact whatsoever. If you go see it I doubt many will hate it, the kids are okay and it's way too inoffensive to really irritate, instead it'll simply be one of those films that most people instantly forget as soon as it's over. That was my take anyway.
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... like a zombie that keeps coming after you no matter how many times you try to kill it.
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And not because it "namechecks" First Blood. I totally agree with Capone on this one. Sure, it's a sweet little story about two friends and their shared passion for making their movie, but it's really funny and it really captures that love of films and filmmaking that, presumably, we all share. I don't think anyone's hailing this as the ultimate cinematic masterpiece or anything like that. It's just a very fun, very enjoyable feel-good movie that oozes 80's nostalgia and a love for movies.
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Fuck you, Capone. Mr. Enemy of the GEEK State.
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Does no one like the idea this shows that the creative process can really be like a bunch of kids competing for club status? That doesn't strike me as overly sentimental, but given the relationship between the characters I suppose this might be lost on far too many viewers.
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I've never written in here before, but I came across the Son Of Rambo thread & felt compelled to write in with my support of the film which I adored when I saw it a month or so ago. It did remind me of the sense of innocence and adventure that you get with a Stand By Me kind of film, and I did feel pangs of nostalgia throughout of getting together with my friends after watching Evil Dead 2 for the first time & feeling invincible infront of the video camera - so maybe I'm the prime audience, but I thought it was fantastic & would urge anyone in need of checking out a different sort of feel good film. My girlfriend also loved this & she didn't grow up around film cameras & fake squibs..
J.R.
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