Son of Rambow is not a terribly inventive film story-wise. It deals with a classic childhood (and indie film in general) story of two unlikely friends striving to accomplish a small-scale task, how this ambition comes into conflict with their home-life, how the project and their relationship changes as new people and elements get involved and ends in a predictable yet understandable way. However, the characters’ charming and engaging interactions, as well as some good doses of Wes Anderson-ian quirkiness, help to make it a solid watch despite this. Here’s a rundown of the story.
The film follows Will and Lee, two boys growing up in early-80s England. Will is a rather quiet and reserved kid with a big imagination, drawing a full story in his notebook about various creatures and adventures, all leading up to him rescuing his father (who, in the real world, had died in the war). Lee, on the other hand, is a very troubled and badly behaviored boy who has to put up with abuse from his older brother, but also dreams of making a film for a televised contest of sorts. The two meet one day in the school hallway, after Lee is thrown out of his class for something he did, and Will has to sit out of a film presentation (as his family forbids him from watching films). They get into a fight that results in a broken fishbowl, which sends them both to the headmistress’s office. Lee offers to take the blame in exchange for Will’s watch (which is actually his father’s watch) and his help on the film Lee’s making. While working on the film at Lee’s house, Will sees a recording of First Blood, which sparks something in the shy lad. Soon afterward, he incorporates Rambo elements into his notebook story, even christening his self-insert character as the “Son of Rambow.” Lee sees these ideas and decides to make them the film’s story, while Will goes gung-ho with his role and starts performing many outlandish stunts. The two boys grow closer as the filming goes on, culminating in the two becoming blood brothers at the end of a shoot. However, Will’s mother, who is part of a Christian Brethren group, starts to take notice of his “veering off the righteous path,” even if she doesn’t know exactly what he’s going off to do every day, and at the insistence of Brother Joshua (a member of the Brethren who is clearly vying for his mother’s hand), tries to keep him from seeing Lee and take him to the church meetings more often. In addition, when Lee is suspended for a week (after a failed movie stunt ends up damaging a classroom at school), a popular French exchange student Didier asks Will if he can be in the film, to which Will agrees, as he’s excited by Didier’s enthusiasm (as well as the clout that comes with being associated with him). Both of these elements cause tension between Will and Lee, as not only is Will not able to be as available due to his family, but now because of Didier’s involvement, more and more people are joining the crew and taking control away from Lee. This all culminates in a spectacularly dangerous event that sends the whole production crashing down and leads to a bittersweet aftermath. However, as always, I won’t spoil the conclusion. Personally, I will admit that I did see the ending coming somewhat, the story in general isn’t the most original thing I’ve ever seen, but it does still wrap things up in a satisfying way.
This film definitely feels within the small-town indie style of the 90s and 2000s, not unlike the works of Wes Anderson and his ilk. Granted, its not quite to the stylized level that he usually goes to, but I noticed some shots and sequences that seemed to be coming from a similar school of film-making, such as the scene where Didier and his posse are riding bikes down a road, towards the camera in an almost symmetrical tracking shot, and Didier shoots a crow which falls down and hits one of the boys, knocking him off his bike. The style, pacing, and quirky music all feel reminiscent of that film-making concept, and interestingly, some of the movie stunt scenes that Will and Lee make are shot and use effects that almost seem to precede techniques that Anderson would use in his later films (wide shots of the action, artificially enhanced movement, etc). It’s neat to see the progression of these film-making subsections as they grow and change with technology and the times. In addition to the charming style, Will and Lee make for solid and endearing protagonists. Will is clearly held back in a lot of ways socially, mostly due to the influence of his church which is clearly not one of the more open-minded sects of Christianity. He isn’t even allowed to watch film or TV of any kind, which funnily enough is what led him to meeting Lee in the first place. Plus, the loss of his father seemed to take a toll on both him and his mother, as he retreated into his imaginary world and stories while she fell back on the church as a means of support which, while nobly intentioned, did restrict the family from growing in directions that might have been beneficial. Lee, on the other hand, is clearly set up in the beginning to be a trouble-making schemer, as he lies about taking the heat for the fishbowl in order to get his hands on Will’s watch (he sneaks away from the headmistress’s office before she even calls him in), as well as to get him involved in his film. But we see throughout the film that he’s very much a good kid at heart with a lot of ambition, he’s just acting out to deal with the bullying he receives from his older brother as well as the sadness he feels from his parents never being around. It’s clear that he has trust issues and wants to keep people at a distance so as to not face the pain of disappointment and betrayal, which of course rears its ugly head when Will starts going against Lee’s wishes in regard to the film. I think the two actors pull off these rolls convincingly and help to carry the audience through the film, even in the face of its more standard story. I must admit that I don’t have all that much to talk about with this film, as I feel it’s the sort of movie that speaks for itself and, while it doesn’t do much new, it executes its story and style well enough that it still works overall. This review did end up a bit briefer than some of my other ones, but I suppose that’s the nature of film reviewing: not every film makes for a long review. Well, on to my conclusion.
In general, Son of Rambow is a fun little movie with enough heart to make it a worthwhile time. If you’re into these sorts of quirky indie films or haven’t seen one before and want something to ease you into them, it’s not a bad choice. It goes back to a time of youthful ambition in the face of life changes and troubles, and I’m sure that early-80s kids will appreciate some of the cultural elements. Bring a good supply of body bags when you take on the (legally distinct) Son of Rambow.