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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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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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Few movies have captured the intoxicating effect of pop culture on kids better than Son of Rambow.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
05/09/08
Stephen Cole
Stephen Cole
Globe and Mail

I can't imagine a better movie for children and adults to enjoy together.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
05/09/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

It’s an absolute delight.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/09/08
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

It's really a touching kids movie about youthful imagination and family values. That's not what I wanted!

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
05/09/08
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine

This is a must-see film that will not only touch your heart but also your funny bone. It's refreshing to find two filmmakers who have so much passion and boyhood spirit involved in their filmmaking processes.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
05/09/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

Like a lot of those home movies we made as children, Son of Rambow has the best of intentions and a great set-up, but the ending falls apart.

Full Review Source: The Deadbolt | comment Comment
05/09/08
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
The Deadbolt

This Sundance hit is as clever and charming as you hope it will be, though, regrettably, not consistently so.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
05/09/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

Garth Jennings, has crafted a small, indie film that - dare I say it? Should I say it? Why not? Is "This Year's Juno."

Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
05/09/08
Michelle Alexandria
Michelle Alexandria
Eclipse Magazine

Flatly ignores any kind of joy-of-filmmaking themes and instead takes the standard coming-of-age route.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/08/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Writer/director Garth Jennings captures the innocent ecstasy of boys discovering the elemental power of cinema and the unfettered play of imagination with disarming humor.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
05/08/08
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The kid-heavy cast tends to substitute enthusiasm for subtlety, but the way they throw their hearts into their games just makes it easier to get drawn in.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/08/08
Tasha Robinson
Tasha Robinson
Chicago Tribune

All part of growing up, an experience Son of Rambow portrays with genuine insight.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
05/08/08
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

A noble effort, but it just kind of falls apart.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
05/05/08
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

...much more than a kids' film and should appeal to those who grew up during the 1980's. The good nature of the film will strike a chord with other auds, both older and younger, too.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
05/05/08
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Jennings and Goldsmith make good with the implications of their pseudonym [Hammer & Tongs], treating the proceedings as the world's biggest, baddest science project.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
05/05/08
Keith Uhlich
Keith Uhlich
UGO

First-time actors Milner and Poulter are gifted and natural.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
05/02/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

First-timers Milner and Poulter are engagingly unaffected and convey a real sense of the explosive joy the right movie at the right time can spark, along with the fierce desire to make it your own.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/02/08
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

An '80s coming-of-age comedy with more energy than ideas.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/02/08
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post

That unashamed passion for movies explains why, even when it gets a little too sweet in its final scenes, Rambow remains true to itself and to Will and Lee's friendship.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
05/02/08
Joe Neumaier
Joe Neumaier
New York Daily News

For a film about falling in love with the movies, its insights on them are next to nil.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/02/08
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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