SON OF RAMBOW
SON OF RAMBOW |
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Tank is so utterly obnoxious, men hire him to date thier ex-girlfriends. They'll have such a bad time, they'll coming running back to the guy who wasn't so bad after all. | score 3+ |
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| Cast Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Hynes, Neil Dudgeon Director Garth Jennings Screenwriter Garth Jennings Country UK Rating / Running Time PG / 96 minutes Australian Release September 2008 Official Site (c) moviereview
2006-2008
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
There’s
such joyousness about Garth Jennings’ ode to boyhood, summer and
video cameras that only hardened hearts wouldn’t be swept along
by his effusive yarn. It’s the English summer of ‘83 and
two young boys have discovered the unfettered pleasure of VHS. Will and
Lee couldn’t be more different – one comes from a
religiously repressive family, the other’s jet-setting parents
have left him in the vague care of his brother. It’s a match made
not so much in heaven, but in the school corridor when one is expelled
from class and the other is prevented from watching TV. Will has an
untamed imagination, Lee is desperate to win a movie-making
competition: it’s a perfect fit. Jennings had measured success in bringing The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy to theatres, and injects the same buoyant, airy sense of humour into this somewhat autobiographical piece. Ostensibly a kid’s pic, 40-somethings are likely to get the most from the adventures of Will and Lee, especially those who have ever wielded a videocam, Hollywood style. A fizzy soundtrack and hearty misadventures in a sixth-form common room give events a welcome kick in the pants of nostalgia. As the boy’s project takes shape, production anxiety tears their friendship apart until tragedy strikes and the elastic bond of blood-brothers pulls everything back into shape. There’s nothing surprising about Jennings’ story, the fun is in the detail. There’s a wide-eyed sense of knowing innocence about Son of Rambow that offers a counterpoint to weighty period dramas like This Is England. His skewed view of childhood is vivid and, for the most part, refreshing with two compelling performances rounding out an imaginative charmer. // COLIN FRASER |