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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a tough first fifteem minutes are well worth the payoff, January 12, 2010
This movie is weird and delightful and well worth watching.
I'll start with the caveats:
1. The first fifteen minutes or so are difficult. You don't like very many people at first, and it looks like it is going to be a much darker film than it turns out to be. Stick with it, I promise it is going to get better.
2. The portrayal of the Plymouth Brethren is a bit on the dour side- I'm not Brethren, but I can't imagine it's as bad as all that.
The rest of the movie is pitch perfect. The portrayal of a friendship between two young boys has rarely been better done. I was just a bit younger than the kids in this movie in the mid eighties, and spent that time bouncing back and forth between England and the US. This movie was a bit of a nostalgia trip. The pop rocks and soda scene? Remember when it was a school yard rumor that you could actually explode your head by doing that?
The music was great- the acting, remarkable- the writing, top notch.
This is a whole family movie that will appeal not only to kids and parents but also to any college aged kids that are into "art movies." This is indie film making at its best.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You haven't seen this yet?, February 2, 2009
One of the best movies of the year. Cute, very funny, a little sad, but most importantly, an absolute blast to watch. Reminds me why some of my favorite movies are forigen: Shawn of the Dead, Pans Lab... If you're into quirky, this is not only a must see, but a must own. 4 thumbs up!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Son of Rambow, November 24, 2010
I was a big fan of first-time filmmakers Hammer and Tongs' (Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. While the duo had worked on music videos and other film projects before Hitchhiker's, this adaptation of the iconic sci-fi novel was their first feature film. It was surprising that they were given the keys to such a big project, one that had been in development for decades, but Hammer and Tongs handled the material quite admirably. In order to make Hitchhiker's Guide they had to put another film they were developing on hold. That project would eventually become their second feature film: Son of Rambow.
Son of Rambow tells the story of Will (Bill Milner), whose family is a part of a strict religious sect known as the Plymouth Brethren. Will has never watched TV, and even has to leave the classroom when they show a documentary at his school. That's how he meets Lee (Will Poulter), the class troublemaker. Will and Lee become best friends and, through Lee, Will gets his first taste of film in the form of Rambo: First Blood. Lee recruits Will to play a stunt man in a Rambo film he's creating to enter into Screen Test's Young Filmmaker's Competition.
Son of Rambow is, for the most part, a love song to film in general. In a way it kind of reminds me of Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind (a film I highly recommend), but there's a very important difference. Rambow will take you back to a time that you most likely will not remember: a time when movies were still magical. These days movies are so commonplace that we never truly get excited about what's on screen, and most of us don't know what it's like to see a movie for the first time. Through the eyes of Will we get to feel what that experience is like.
Rambow is also a coming-of-age story; a look back at a time when innocence is lost. At the beginning of the film, Will doesn't really know the difference between his world as a member of the Plymouth Brethren and the outside world, while Lee doesn't have the connection of a close friend, or really anyone for that matter. Throughout the course of the film we watch as the connection between the two boys develops and takes each of them on a voyage of discovery. Son of Rambow is really a brilliant look back at what it's like to be a kid, allowing you to feel the joys and the pains of early adolescence.
If you haven't seen Son of Rambow, watch it today! It's really amazing how the film allows you to experience what these characters feel and see. You'll feel like a kid again, seeing film through new eyes and re-experiencing childhood. If you want to check out a not-so-jaded look at love of cinema be sure to give this a try. If anything the screening of the actual Son of Rambow film in the final act will bring a smile to your face and maybe even a tear to your eyes.
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