a5c7b9f00b SON OF RAMBOW is the name of the home movie made by two little boys with a big video camera and even bigger ambitions. Set on a long English summer in the early '80s, SON OF RAMBOW is a comedy about friendship, faith and the tough business of growing up. We see the story through the eyes of Will, the eldest son of a fatherless Plymouth Brethren family. The Brethren regard themselves as God's 'chosen ones' and their strict moral code means that Will has never been allowed to mix with the other 'worldlies,' listen to music or watch TV, until he finds himself caught up in the extraordinary world of Lee Carter, the school terror and maker of bizarre home movies. Carter exposes Will to a pirate copy of Rambo: First Blood and from that moment Will's mind is blown wide open and he's easily convinced to be the stuntman in Lee Carters' diabolical home movie. Will's imaginative little brain is not only given chance to flourish in the world of film making, but is also very handy when it comes to dreaming up elaborate schemes to keep his partnership with Lee Carter a secret from the Brethren community. Will and Carter's complete disregard for consequences and innocent ambition means that the process of making their film is a glorious roller-coaster that eventually leads to true friendship. They start to make a name for themselves at school as movie makers but when popularity descends on them in the form of the Pied Piper-esque French exchange student, Didier Revol, their unique friendship and their precious film are pushed, quite literally, to breaking point. During a long English summer in the early 1980s, two schoolboys from differing backgrounds set out to make a film inspired by <a href=">First Blood (1982). If, as a kid, you ever wondered what it would be like to make your own movie, if you have ever watched an action flick and thought "Good grief! I can act better than that…", then Son of Rambow should be on your must-see list. I very rarely use the word charming – which too often seems to damn with faint praise – but I think charming is fairly justified in this case. This is a very English film, and I'm quite surprised that so many of the positive comments here on IMDb are from non-Brits. Watching it, I wasn't sure how it would translate for an American audience, but the crowded cinema in Santa Cruz and the cheerful applause at the end, suggest that there is still a market for this kind of gentle humour, and well written dialogue with no big name stars.<br/><br/>William Proudfoot (Bill Milner) is growing up in the early 1980s as a member of the Plymouth Brethren sect which, if this portrayal is anything to go by, is about as much fun for a child as being female under the Taliban. William's father is dead. His mother is raising her two children whom she obviously loves, as best she can while looking after a very elderly grandma, and being pursued by the excruciatingly humourless and pompous Brother Joshua (Neil Dudgeon). Will is not allowed to watch TV or listen to the radio, and their house décor suggest not so much a disdain for modern technology, like, say the Amish, as a failure to buy anything new since 1962. They live in a time warp. <br/><br/>William falls in with the school tearaway Lee Carter (Will Poulter) who is his polar opposite, living a life of superficial abundance and modernity but lacking a caring family for support. Lee makes pirated videos for his elder brother, and then surreptitiously borrows the video camera to film his own epic for a BBC competition. William's first exposure to the moving image is a pirated copy of First Blood, and it has a cathartic effect on him. He gets roped in to play the stunt man for Lee's homage to Rambo and draws on his own vivid imagination to re-create the movie along his own lines, as an attempt to rescue his longed for father from the alien scarecrows while fighting off all the baddies. Add to the mix a super cool French foreign exchange student Didier (Jules Sitruk) and the wonderful details of a decrepit British school from a quarter century ago, and the mix is gently funny and sweet, without ever being saccharine. I thoroughly enjoyed it, in a relaxed I-know-this-isn't-ground-breaking-stuff kind of way. The period detail is a bit sketchy and mashed together as a stereotype of the day, but I'll let that pass.<br/><br/>One thing I do like is the British child actors, who seem so very different to their American counterparts. Bill Milner is utterly guileless as William, while Will Poulter brings a kind of cynic-proof honesty to his sharp witted Lee. I wanted to take Bill Milner home and give him a decent meal, he looked so wan, but his energetic leaping from trees and swinging on ropes suggest he is tougher than he looks. They lack that old before my time, smart alec, knowing quality that too many young American actors seem unable to shake off. This movie invites us in to enjoy it on its own level without a shred of condescension. It tries to say a little about friendship, family and trust but stays the right side of mawkish – just. I recommend it for a gentle mid week outing, rather than a fun packed Friday night. "Son Of Rambow" reminded me a lot of "Stand By Me" and I don't really know why. It's not about a group of friends, just a pair. It takes place in England, not Oregon. And the whole plot is about a kid with big dreams who escapes a life of religious oppression and rules to discover the 'real world.' And he makes a damn hilarious movie in the process.<br/><br/>Viewers will no doubt identify with one of the two main characters: either the shy, intrigued intelligent boy or the boisterous, rough-housing, but loyal and equally intelligent boy. They are both full of positive traits which together paint a wide-stroked portrait of youth.<br/><br/>If you are curious at all about it, rent it. It is unlikely to disappoint. It is quirky and strange, but moves fast and really has some funny moments. Definitely a feel good flick here.<br/><br/>Recommended to those who are interested.<br/><br/>8 out of 10, kids. A sweetly raucous adventure. Widely quoted comparisons to "Billy Elliot" and Tim Burton overstate the case for what is really a modestly eccentric entertainment. Son of Rambow is based on a screenplay that was written by director Garth Jennings. It was inspired by Jennings' own experiences as a child in the 1980s, when video equipment first became available to the public. No. Son of Rambow isn't about Rambo; rather, it's about young boys who are inspired to make their own video after having seen <a href="/title/tt0083944/">First Blood (1982)</a> (1982). Apparently, the spelling had to be changed because of problems with copyright infringement. It is also a way of communicating to moviegoers that the film is not part of the Rambo series, which it would have seemed at first glance if spelled correctly. The "mistake" is acknowledged in a brief dialogue between the film's two protagonists at the end of the credits. In England education is compulsory until the age of 16, but many students stay on until they are 18. The school years when a student is 16 (or 17) and 17 (or 18) are respectively called the lower and upper sixth form (or year 12 and 13). Many schools have separate buildings for these years, and nearly all have common rooms for sixth-formers. The common room is an area where pupils can spend time when they don't have classes. Younger years will generally not have any free periods and so don't need such a facility; it therefore emphasizes the boys' new-found popularity as they normally wouldn't have been allowed in. Several people have noted that Son of Rambow reminds them of Stephen King's <a href="/title/tt0092005/">Stand by Me (1986)</a> (1986) in the way that it provides a nostalgic look at the camaraderie, the coming of age, the bittersweet vulnerability, and the fantastic humor of childhood. <a href="/title/tt0095765/">Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988)</a> (1988) has similar themes. If you are looking for a similar British style then try <a href="/title/tt0366777/">Millions (2004)</a> (2004). The similar theme of children working on a project together but experiencing a schism is presented in <a href="/title/tt0114040/">Once in a Blue Moon (1995)</a> (1995). The first song is "Over and Done With" by The Proclaimers; the second song is "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie.