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Movies / On DVD / Son of Rambow
Son of Rambow

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Son of Rambow (2008)

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Reviews Counted:115

Fresh:85

Rotten:30

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: Undeniable heart and charming young leads save the film's nostalgic storyline from suffering at the hands predictability.

Rated: 12A

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:04-04-2008

Synopsis: Writer-director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, who as Hammer & Tongs have made music videos for such groups as Fatboy Slim, Supergrass, Blur, and REM, follow up their 2005 film, THE... Writer-director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, who as Hammer & Tongs have made music videos for such groups as Fatboy Slim, Supergrass, Blur, and REM, follow up their 2005 film, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, with the charming indie SON OF RAMBOW, a love letter to the movies. A success at such festivals as Toronto and Sundance, SON OF RAMBOW stars Bill Milner as Will Proudfoot, a shy, reserved young boy who is different from the other kids because his family is part of the Brethren, a religion that shuns the outside world, not allowing him to have friends at school or to watch television. While in the hallway in school one day because he can't watch an educational film in class, Will gets into a fight with Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a tough kid who gets into trouble all the time. Lee forces Will to help him make a homemade version of the Sylvester Stallone film FIRST BLOOD, but after watching the original, Will is captivated by the movie and writes his own sequel, casting himself as the son of Rambow (he misspells the name of the character). Will and Lee use their imagination and lots of grit to get the project off the ground, bonding as only blood brothers can. But soon the entire school wants to participate in the movie, including ultra-cool French exchange student Didier Revol (Jules Sitruk), jeopardizing the integrity of the production as well as Will and Lee's growing friendship. Milner and Poulter, both making their feature-film debuts, are engaging as the lead characters. Jennings sets SON OF RAMBOW in the 1980s, before cell phones, digital cameras, and YouTube changed the way people communicate. Amid a soundtrack that includes music from such seminal period bands as The Cure and Depeche Mode, the two young boys learn about family and friendship, jealousy and ego as their carefully controlled worlds threaten to implode. [More]

Starring: Will Poulter, Bill Milner, Jules Sitruck, Charlie Thrift

Starring: Will Poulter, Bill Milner, Jules Sitruck, Charlie Thrift, Jessica Stevenson, Neil Dudgeon

Director: Garth Jennings

Director: Garth Jennings
Screenwriter: Garth Jennings
Producer: Nick Goldsmith
Composer: Joby Talbot
Studio: Paramount Vantage

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Reviews for Son of Rambow

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
4/5

Rich Cline

A bright and very silly film with solid, provocative themes that really stick with us.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 03 2008 02:04 AM

Shadows on the Wall

tomato
4/5

Dan Jolin

A potentially disposable, tongue-in-cheek First Blood pisstake turns out to be a deeply effective, surprisingly touching tale of family and childhood friendship. If you only see one Rambo movie this year, make sure it’s this one.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 06 2008 12:26 PM

Empire Magazine

tomato
4.5/5

Orlando Parfitt

You'd have to be a bigger cynic than Richard Dawkins not to have your cockles warmed by this gem.

Full Review Source: | comment 3 Comments | Apr., 06 2008 12:20 PM

IGN Movies UK

tomato
4/6

Ben Walters

Integrates its slapstick genre pastiche into a thoughtful story about peer pressure, neglect and yearning

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 03 2007 05:03 AM

Time Out

splat

Rob Nelson

Funnier than anything in this vaguely dark comedy is the thought of [Sly] Stallone sitting through it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 24 2009 11:43 AM

Boston Phoenix

splat
C+

Bryant Frazer

Crammed tight with every kid-pic cliche you can imagine.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 15 2008 07:06 PM

Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

splat
2.5/5

David Stratton

It's a fun idea, but quite awkwardly staged and, in the end, not particularly engaging.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 12 2008 06:20 AM

The Australian

tomato
7/10

Heather Huntington

A feel-good family flick that doesn't pander to the younger members of the equation.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 08 2008 12:02 PM

ReelzChannel.com

tomato

Julie Rigg

This is a winner, a film to which you can safely take your kids and enjoy yourself.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 05 2008 06:46 AM

MovieTime, ABC Radio National

tomato

Brian Duff

Waffles between heart-on-its-sleeve candor and winking self-awareness.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 05 2008 06:37 AM

FILMINK (Australia)

tomato
3.5/4

Leigh Paatsch

Though the film is primarily designed to appeal to viewers in the early-teen demographic, a maturity and intelligence is at work here that will connect with many adults also.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Sep., 05 2008 06:25 AM

Herald Sun (Australia)

tomato
3/5

Sandra Hall

The script is not so much written as assembled, anecdote by anecdote. As a result, you never quite settle in.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 05 2008 06:16 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

tomato
3/5

Jake Wilson

It's a mildly startling choice of subject matter, but Jennings takes for granted that even the most innocent cineastes have their sadistic side.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 05 2008 04:03 AM

The Age (Australia)

tomato
3.5/5

Margaret Pomeranz

This quite charming film does have a strangeness about it; you feel that not all the pieces fit comfortably together.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 05 2008 03:52 AM

At the Movies (Australia)

splat

Andrew L. Urban

I was not so engaged as to be moved . . . and felt impatient at the lack of dramatic pace

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 29 2008 04:25 AM

Urban Cinefile

tomato

Louise Keller

It may not all work but Son of Rambow is a totally original and really sweet film with an ultra soft heart

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 29 2008 04:24 AM

Urban Cinefile

splat
5/10

John J. Puccio

Its heart is surely in the right place. Yet so much of it just doesn't work...that it's hard to get very excited about it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 22 2008 04:47 PM

DVDTown.com

tomato
4/5

Todd Gilchrist

Jennings and Goldsmith's kid-fueled '80s film proves as inspiring as it is inspired.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2008 02:38 PM

IGN Movies

tomato

Robert Davis

The boys' video project is modern enough to stand in contrast to the brick and tweed of the locale, but rather than glossing over that uncomfortable fit, Jennings highlights it with a one-man Flock Of Seagulls.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 09 2008 12:54 PM

Paste Magazine

splat
D

Dennis Schwartz

An almost unbearably tedious kidpic about two fatherless boy opposites using Rambo as a role model.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 08 2008 05:08 PM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

 
 
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