Son of Rambow

Starring Will Poulter and Bill Milner
Directed by Garth Jennings
Rated PG-13

Very often, a movie that looks at kids as they start to mature does so from a perspective of knowing more than the characters, knowing the pitfalls of adolescence. Son of Rambow lets the kids be kids and looks on, but never looks after them.

Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) is a quiet, sheltered kid. His mother doesn't allow him to watch television, as it's forbidden by the family's religion. Nothing at all is forbidden for Lee Carter (Will Poulter), who lives with his older brother while his mother is off on the French Riviera somewhere. But when Carter, a kind of fifth-grade bully, strongarms the awkward goody-two-shoes into helping him make an amateur movie for a local TV contest, Will has an epiphany stronger than anything he'd ever realized in church.

The boys want to make a movie about Rambo's son venturing into the heart of darkness to save his father. They enlist the help of several schoolmates and soon, the film includes ninjas, flying dogs, and giant scarecrows. Come to think of it, the most recent Stallone Rambo movie could've used a flying dog or two.

There is tension throughout the filming, in part because Lee sees control of his dream slipping away and in part because Will doesn't necessarily want a clean break from his religious upbringing, and even if he does, he certainly can't disobey his mother everyday of his life.

The kids give warm, arresting performances and director Garth Jennings knows enough to stay out of their way. The worst thing that could've happened to Son of Rambow is if it had the stamp of an adult filmmaker on it somewhere. But this is innocent, fun, silly, a little inspiring, and damned entertaining.