O Filho de Rambow

If you sometimes feel like all you watch are big-budget 'blockbuster' movies this is the film to remind you what movie-making should be.

Attended a preview screening this week, and can't wait for the weekend so I can go back and watch it again. The screening was packed, and the general reaction definitely agreed with my own.

There are several 'laugh-out-loud' moments, from the opening titles, to the touching climax, and at many points in between, in a well written, perfectly paced film. I am someone who goes to a lot of movies, and sometimes find myself checking my watch, but this draws you in from the start, and it never loses you.

Probably has most appeal for those , like myself, who were in the UK in the 80's but I'm sure it has appeal for all, and hope the two leads go on to further success in the future. There is an innocent charm about the lead pairing, and the movie as a whole, that should transcend national and cultural boundaries.

Greetings again from the darkness. The Sundance favorite is finally making the rounds and I found this to be a very entertaining and charming film, despite its relative simplicity.

A semi-autobiographical piece from writer/director Garth Jennings ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), the film focuses on the escapades of two young boys making a movie. Along the way, many topics are addressed ... family, religion, friendship, loyalty, idol-worship, etc.

Bill Milner (as Will Proudfoot) and Will Poulter (as Lee Carter) are the newcomers who play the boys. Poulter is a near reincarnation of River Phoenix as Chris Chambers ("Stand By Me") as he carries so much bottled up emotion stemming from his longing for attention. Milner's character is the more sensitive, creative type being suffocated by his family's religion. Quite a pair.

As a commentary on film and celebrity, the two boy's world is rocked when their film-making is discovered. Now everyone wants a piece including the French exchange student, Didier, played hysterically well by Jules Sitruk. Character issues to follow!

The boys are so endearing that most kids would enjoy the film and certainly most adults who were still growing up in the 80's will get a kick out of it.

"Son of Rambow" is a cute and enjoyable film. However, it's one that has an amazingly unlikely ending and it has a few loose ends...but on balance it is worth seeing.

Will is a young boy who appears to be about 8 years-old who is very sad and lonely. This is because his family are members of an ultra-religious sect and Will isn't allowed to do many of the things other kids do. However, oddly, his mother sends him to school with other kids....kids who are NOT from this same religious order. But being an oddball, he's mostly alone...that is until he meets Lee Carter, the kid who's been voted most likely to go to prison before he reaches puberty!

So what do these two boys have in common? Well, they both want to make a movie....a sequel to "Rambo: First Blood"...and making films and hanging with this 'bad kid' is a serious breech of the rules for Will. And, what does a weird French foreign exchange student have to do with all this?

The film has some charming moments and the child actors did a very nice job. But the final portion of the film, while enjoyable, makes no sense and seems more formulaic than intelligently made. Still, it's a cute little film....and there aren't too many like it.

When I saw the trailer for this film, it looked like another corny British comedy. The film itself is much, much better than that, as someone else has said it feels more like a Michael Gondry film. Very idiosyncratic, quirky and confident in what it does, with many laugh-out-loud moments. What I enjoyed most of all was how some really nice themes and subplots started to innocently dovetail with the story, never feeling contrived, or overly sentimental. There were some great touches where the writer/director chose to imply or suggest something without going overboard - which makes for a much more warming experience than the usual obvious and clunky approach in British screen writing. The acting was superb. This film will appeal to many, many people for different reasons - I just hope they are encouraged and inspired enough to go and see it. I hope that word of mouth does this film the justice it deserves. Go see it!!

I had high hopes for this film as it's very much the era I grew up in.

I too wanted to send a film for 'Screen Test' (an 80s UK film quiz show for children's TV with a regular slot for home-made films) though I didn't get tosee Sly eating snakes and stitching up his arm till much later.

I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint at all. The performances were wonderful (especially the young leads) and as well as having more than its fair share of laugh out loud moments, there's a real warmth and emotional truth to this story of friendship, growing up and blowing stuff up.

I really hope 'Son Of Rambow' is the hit it deserves to be.