Be Excellent To Each Other

Anyone seen this yet? I have, and here's my stupidly effusive review...

SON OF RAMBOW

Every time his teacher slaps a public information film on the telly, Will Proudfoot has to leave the room. He belongs to the puritanical ‘Plymouth Brethren’ you see, and his loving but strictly religious mother forbids television, music, art and all the corrupting culture of the outside world. Unfortunately for the Plymouth Brethren, their policy places Will Proudfoot firmly in the path of Lee Carter who in comparison to their order is pretty much the anti-christ.

Because it doesn’t take long for Will to become utterly in the thrall of this wild, malcontent and mischievous tempter. Will agrees to star as stuntman in Lee’s film, which is shot in and around the juvenile paradise that is the industrial wasteland, the towering tree and the fast-flowing deep water. Clearly, Lee Carter had difficulty in attending to the lessons of the public information film as well.


Rumours about Stallone's dimunitve height weren't exagerated.

At first Lee bullies and intimidates Will, but quickly a friendship is sparked between them as he becomes impressed by the imagination, joy and flattering hero-worship of his apprentice. And it is through Lee that Will sees his first film – Rambo: First Blood. And to him it is a profound revelation that must be acted upon, namely to be recreated in their now infinitely more ambitious film. But how can such a project succeed under the smothering regard of the Brethren and the threat of violence from Lee’s older brother if he catches him using his camera?


Son of Rambow is an utter joy of a film. Garth Jennings script and direction seemingly effortlessly slips you back into childhood of long summers and thrilling irresponsibility. Where the greatest horror for some was a letter to the parents, and to others the cruelty of classmates. And when the greatest friends you ever had were when you were ages eight to eleven.


It is a film that shows a great sensitivity also. The Brethren aren’t poorly written heavies, they’re caring people who genuinely believe they’re doing good and thus are all the more alarming for it. Will’s mum, played to perfection by Jessica Hynes, has a story of her own simmering away, partly hidden. However blindly she enforces the rule of the Brethren, she is as much a victim of their creed as Will is, having had no Lee Carter to save her childhood. Without such attention to detail the film would be an enjoyable but ultimately forgettable comedy. Garth Jennings instead takes this thread and weaves it in with other seemingly disparate subplots to create a film about the discovery of bigger worlds and the adulation of heroes, and of the pain and hurt suffered in the pursuit.


A film about childhood, then.

I haven’t said anything about the acting of the two leads, the wonderful Bill Milner and Will Poulter. Their acting is so natural, so beautifully real that the inescapable conclusion is that most of the time they weren’t acting at all and that Garth Jennings and his capable crew had engaged the inherent make-pretend of the child and with it, the most natural and downright funny performances I have yet seen from children in a film since Stand By Me.


And it deserves to be up there with that great, as the British equivilent. They really are on a par. Any quibbles I have with this film are minor, and ultimately overwhelmed by the sheer glory of this film.

In conclusion then – the best British film I have seen in the last decade. And I include Simon Pegg’s excellent work in that.

A+ or S or whatever we're doing for toppo grades now.

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So, what do you guys and gals think of it? Join me and talk about it here. JOIN ME.

That's a fine review there. I may have to try and see this now.

Garth Jennings was on Five Live with Mark Kermode last week - funnily enough, he mentioned Stand By Me as a comparison to this film, too.

best british film in recent years? better than this is england?

Both are superb films, but so different in tone and feel that direct comparisons are more or less meaningless. Certainly not as gritty or punchy, but about a million times more effervescent and occasionally surreal. Both come highly recommended by TippyCorp.

A tough one. This Is England is certainly weightier and more believable, but it doesn't really speak to either my own or my friends' childhood experiences. Son of Rambow seems to pretty much capture how the world looked to me at that time.

And I certainly couldn't recommend the rather gruelling-at-points This is England to young 'uns, whilst Son of Rambow is that rare thing - a fine family film.

-10 points for misspelling 'Rambo'.

Good review, since I thought it was going of the name going to be a pile of shite, so making me actually want to go see it makes it a good review for me. Although I never go to the pictures so it'll probably be a DVD affair. Actually would a 6 Year old like it? he loves flight of the navigator so hes actually got away from only watching animation.

Also has anyone seen that funny games, its by the bloke that did hidden and the trailer looks sinister as fuck.

Not seen Funny Games, I shall look for the trailer tonight.

As for six year old material - hmm. Well, it's a 12A but there's nothing scary in it. Bit of swearing, Rambo sewing up his arm. However, it isn't really a kids movie. Its got big chunks that kids would like, mainly slapstick with the two young 'uns, but its mainly a tale for adults looking back on their own childhoods I think and for ages 10+. He might like it though, if you're getting the DVD it's worth a try.

So the bodycount is 0?

Damn, I'm dissapointed.

I kept on meaning to see it when it first came out (Funny Games). Apparently the remake is very good though, and for once they haven't botched/Hollywood-ed it.

Must make effort to go see.

Kermode hated Funny Games (both versions). His review said "If you want to sit there and be lectured at for two hours, go for it!"

kermode is void from any opinions on anything for being a uptight dick who cant see videogames as a decent medium.

Kermode is God-like.

Occasionally wrong*, but always, always, entertaining. Like the NME when it was good, you even enjoy disagreeing with him.



*The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie is most excellent. He's damn right about the sequels, mind.

Given that the Jennings person and his partner did the music videos for "Humping on your Stereo" by the mighty 'Grass and "Right Here, Right Now" by the Fatboy Slim, I'm not sure whether I'm surprised or not by their first film being good.

I'm going to watch it purely because the chap on the left in nervouspete's piccy looks exactly like Smash Daisaku from Gunstar Heroes.

Shh! Their first film was actually *gngh* Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, but keep it quiet. Shh! This is 5 billion times better. Shh-shh!

Hahahahah! Yes. I'd forgotten about that. I've not watched it, but I hear it's quite bad. The presence of Mos Def is usually a dead giveaway for that sort of thing.

Took the missus to see this last Thursday (First cinema trip since we went to see Hostel).

Despite the early eighties setting the missus merely ranked it as OK, but admitted she was expecting it to be the best thing ever based on what she'd heard. I'd heard nothing about it and thought it was quite good even if it did point out the painful truth that I am basically an early eighties sixth former despite me being born 15 years too late to be one, and am likely to remain one forever more. Relating more to the extras than the protaganists may indicate I've missed the films point slightly, though.

FTFY.

*Guilt*