Son of Rambow

Set in 1983, Garth Jennings' quirky but curiously irritating British comedy revolves around two boys with family problems who combine their dubious talents to make a sequel to Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. Scrawny Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) is a shy, sheltered lad being raised by his widowed mother, who is a member of a stern religious sect. In school, Will is thrown together with Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a troublemaking bully who cons his wimpy classmate into starring in a video version of Rambo. Will, who's never seen a movie before, happily engages in all sorts of dangerous stunts, but his new avocation naturally causes family turmoil. Son of Rambow wants to be a nostalgic dramedy about polar-opposite kids who become unlikely chums, but the lads just aren't very likable, the religious subplot comes off as too dark, and the slapstick resulting from the video shoot is simply lame (although not as bad as the subplot involving an exotic French exchange student). Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an audio commentary (by director Garth Jennings, producer Nick Goldsmith, and costars Bill Milner and Will Poulter), the 26-minute “making-of” featurette “Boys Will Be Boys,” Jennings' short film “Aron” (11 min.), a five-minute webisode, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)