CINEMA: Son Of Rambow

If the release of the new Rambo movie has left you wondering whether the geriatric Stallone’s bandana has been secured a little too tightly, then do not despair. A new British film almost about Rambo, but with far less bloodshed and much more charm, is on its way.

Son of Rambow, directed by Garth Jennings (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), follows two adolescent boys on a mission to win a national junior screen-test competition. Armed with his elder brother’s camcorder, loveable miscreant Lee Carter (Will Poulter) recruits his unlikely cohort Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner), a timid member of a pious religious sect – the Brethren – to co-star in his low budget action debut. The collision of their divergent upbringings and characters provides the basis of the film’s charm and wit. Even though Will’s naïve remarks are continually and acerbically punctured by Lee’s sarcastic ripostes, the pair quickly become friends, united by their common desire to escape their home lives.

It would have been very easy for Jennings to allow the 80s setting to consume the plot, and give way to unfeasibly bright clothes and keyboard music, as many weaker films have done. Instead he has executed this with a well-measured dose of nostalgia, augmenting the overall charm and perhaps providing an outlet for those who want to take a journey through the decade that hairstyles forgot.

Although you probably won’t leave the cinema with a greater sense of human understanding, this film serves its purpose. It’s something we can all relate to; being a kid, going on an adventure, and making some true friends along the way. If that’s not enough, then go to see it for Eric Sykes’ cameo as the decrepit, elderly, and senile Rambo. Ring any bells?     Ed Keating