Son of Rambow

Will Proudfoot is a lonely child with a strict religious upbringing. So when he meets school rebel Lee Carter, and sees the insanely violent Rambo: First Blood, all in one day, his life is changed forever. From then on, Will and Lee set out to make their very own sequel to Rambo: Son of Rambo(w).

Director Garth Jennings, perhaps best known for the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, manages to encapsulate perfectly the magic and innocence of youth with a film based on his own experiences as a child growing up in the 80’s - the music, the fashion, the slang (‘skills on toast’ for example). All of this is a backdrop to the two youngsters' quest to have their film shown on television. Although Rambo is the primary influence behind the plot, the film manages to cover so much more ground than this one, admittedly unique source. Both Will and Lee are lonely and from a broken home, though their upbringings couldn’t be more different. Whereas Lee has turned to petty theft and truancy in the absence of his parents and his seemingly uncaring older brother, Will has been brought up in the suffocating security of a private religious sect, which forbids, amongst other things, television. In each other, both boys manage to find what they’ve been missing out on, bonding over the fictional father figure of one John Rambo.

When just watched on the surface, the film is fantastically funny, with some stand out performances from both the young and old cast. Jules Sitruk as French exchange student Didier provokes slaughter without having to say a word, and Eric Sykes steals the show as an elderly patient in Lee’s stepfather's retirement home. The scene where he is dressed as Rambo has to be seen to be believed. The dramatic performances are brilliant too, with Jessica Hynes (of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead fame) standing out as Will’s protective mother.

Overall, Son of Rambow is a film that can be viewed on many levels. Whether as a nostalgic flashback to the 80’s, or a comedy drama about the naivety of youth, Son of Rambow doesn’t fail to entertain and please. By the time the credits roll, you’ll be certain to leave the cinema with a smile on your face.

Tom Harvey