Son of Rambow is the sort of quiet indie with foreign cred that is long enough on charm to get those who see it to champion it as the sort of warm-hearted comedy the masses should be seeing instead of the mass-produced simple fare that Hollywood keeps pumping out. I've already come across reviews with that sentiment, and to tell the truth, after seeing the trailer, I was expecting to do the same after watching the movie.
But I can't. Don't get me wrong, it is a charming little movie, with enough wonderful imagination and precocious performances by its young leads to make it an enjoyable enough experience. But beyond the cute concept, the nostalgic look at its period trappings (the early '80s), and the English accents, there isn't much that separates Son of Rambow from an above-average Disney offering. It's the sort of movie I wanted to like more than actually did like, with its lack of focus and debt to earlier, similar films (such as Rushmore) being the chief factors in tempering my enthusiasm.
The film follows Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) an imaginative young boy whose strict religious upbringing prevents him from watching films or television, who meets Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a school bully who enlists Will into helping him make his screen test for a junior filmmaker competition. After Will views a bootleg copy of First Blood that Lee is making for his older brother (Ed Westwick), Will is enthralled with the film, creating his own story that becomes the basis for his and Lee Carter's movie, a movie they must keep secret from Will's family.
The film is at its best when Will and Lee Carter are finding creative ways to make Will's crazy movie, as the two leads are mostly delightful and their antics are lighthearted fun. But, much like Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind, another film released this year about amateurs recreating their visions of other movies, the movie is at its weakest when it comes time to be a movie. Besides the two leads, none of the other characters are developed, which wouldn't be a problem if writer/director Garth Jennings didn't turn over so much of the movie to other characters and their problems.
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