Netflix says: Getting a hold of a camera changes everything for young Will (Bill Milner), whose ultrareligious parents forbid him to watch TV or go to the movies, in this nostalgic comedy from the team behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The film chronicles the unlikely friendship that blossoms between Will and class bully Lee (Will Poulter) when the latter recruits Will to help him make a home movie inspired by Rambo: First Blood.
Matt says: Poignant children’s movie is Britain's “The Sandlot”. Where “The Sandlot” was an American 50’s flashback, “Rambow” is a UK 80’s flashback. The story follows a boy who lives with a mother and sister who are wrapped in a conservative religious sect. When he befriends his school’s black sheep, he learns the value of friendship and begins to question his mother’s religious beliefs. Together, the imaginative protagonist and new found friend use a VHS camera to film a movie for a BBC contest. There are obstacles in their way, in the form of ego and outside stimulus, which begin to effect the children in a truly realistic fashion. The film is undeniably charming, the child actors are brilliant in their roles, and the story is well imagined. It’s rated PG-13 for child cigarette smoking… there’s really nothing else (aside for a minimal amount of curse words) to make it inappropriate for a younger audience. I recommend this for people with pre-teen children as it enforces thinking for yourself, using your imagination, finding good in those who seem bad, and most importantly, love for good friends. I enjoyed it immensely. 4 stars.
Marc says: The odd (and to me, kind of unappealing) premise is actually fertile ground for a great story with many insights in to the childhood imagination and the importance of finding true friends. The child actors pull off everything required of them in a believable and seemingly effortless fashion. Great use of 80’s new wave and fashion without appearing overly referential or artificial. While some might label this as a kid’s flick, I’d say it works on the right level for people of all ages, since the themes are essentially familiar to anyone who enjoys creative endeavor and the friendships that are formed by it. That the film approaches this without the saccharine sentimentality found in most kid’s movies is to its credit. Grade A.
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