DVD Review: Son of Rambow

Written by Puño Estupendo

It's the early ‘80s and Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) is a young boy who, because of the religion his family practices, is not allowed films, music, or any other of the modern trappings of the town they live in. He's a great kid with a talent for telling stories through his collection of drawings he carries with him everywhere.

Lee Carter (Will Poulter) on the other hand is a boy that causes mayhem and breaks rules without breaking a sweat. Whether it’s vandalism or sitting in a theater with a camcorder and a cigarette videotaping the Stallone mega-hit First Blood, Lee Carter is bad news.

While both boys are sitting outside their classrooms in the hall, (Will for not being able to watch a film being shown and Lee for doing something horrible that you wish you could've seen) the two meet and their lives change from that point on. Will ends up seeing Lee's bootleg of First Blood and gets so wound up by the movie, the two boys begin shooting their own version (via camcorder) with Will starring as the Son of Rambow.

Written and directed by Garth Jennings, Son of Rambow is a great tale of childhood friendship. Through the boys’ relationship, Jennings shows how genuine and moving a youth’s friendships can be, for good and for bad. With a wonderful collection of characters, including a new-wave exchange student from France, the film hits its notes really well. The laughs are great, the characters are unbelievably likable, and it pulls on the heartstrings just enough without beating you over the head.

The DVD comes with a few supplementals like the obligatory commentary track and making-of. This is a good disc that should inspire multiple viewings. If Garth Jennings keeps making films like Son of Rambow, then he should definitely be one to watch in the future.

In the U.S., the DVD will be available exclusively for sale at Best Buy and for rent at all major rental locations. It will be for sale or rent at all major retailers in Canada.

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