I was so excited to finally see this movie. I’ve heard so many great things about it. I really dig Hammer and Tongs as filmmakers, plus it’s about the son of Rambo(w). I must say the wait was definitely worth it.
Son of Rambow takes place in the 80’s in England, but unlike movies like The Wedding Singer it doesn’t bombard you with 80’s nostalgia (except for one amazing over the top dance party scene). Will Proudfoot is a young boy with a healthy imagination. He also belongs to a highly religious family (they’re Quakers or something, I never did catch what religion they were). At school he has to leave the classroom whenever they watch a documentary because he’s not allowed to watch TV. The school troublemaker, Lee Carter, befriends him and tricks him in to being a stunt man in a movie he’s shooting. There’s also a French exchange student that has got to be the coolest kid in world.
Will accidentally watches a bootleg of First Blood1, the first movie he’s ever seen. It has the same effect as giving a six pack of Mountain Dew laced with LSD to a 6 year-old. He goes completely bonkers. He becomes obsessed with making the movie. What happens next is nothing short of brilliant.
This film is a total 80’s PG family movie2. It can stand up next to The Goonies, Monster Squad, and The Sandlot- all movies that capture the spirit, imagination, and excitement of being a kid. I don’t want to ruin any more of the movie for you, this is something you need to see with as little preconceived notions as possible. Just go in there with an open mind and let it get blown.
Real quick- you should really check out Hammer and Tongs other videos right now.
1. The writer/director Garth Jennings says that this was the first R rated movie he ever saw as well.
2. The Goonies was rated PG even though the language was a bit hard, PG-13 had just been invented a year earlier and was still being defined. Just like The Goonies it features kids talking like kids.
