Lee Carter (Will Poulter) has a rep as one of the worst-behaved boys in school. He smokes, always gets kicked out of class and bootlegs movies for his older brother. Will's (Bill Milner) background is the exact opposite. His family is part of a strict religious sect that forbids watching television or movies, among other things. Although cut off from pop culture, Will has a vivid imagination and spends all of this time creating short flipbooks and drawing elaborate fantasy scenes in bathroom stalls, his Bible and anywhere else he can make a mark.
Lee and Will meet by chance after both are sent out of class for different reasons. While visiting Lee's house, Will views a pirated copy Rambo: First Blood and the two decide to make their own action film to enter into a student competition.
Before watching Son of Rambow, I suggest watching "Aron: Part 1", which is included as an extra. Although Rambow is good enough to stand on its own, watching Jenning's own fan film is the perfect setup for the rest of the movie. The plotting and pacing have minor issues, but the entire film has a fun quality that makes up for them. Son of Rambow is also an incredibly dense film when it comes to plot. The boy's adventures in zero-budget filmmaking are only a small part of everything going on in their lives. Subplots range from deep, mainly dealing with Will's fundamentalist background, to odd, namely a recurring gag involving a French exchange student. All of the subplots mean something to the film, even the more random ones.
Aside from "Aron: Part 1", other extras include a "Making of..." feature as well as commentary from the filmmakers and deleted scenes. "Aron: Part 1" is the only real standout, though the commentary and "Making of..." features are worth watching.
There's a "British" quality to the humor, so Son of Rambow may not appeal to everyone. However, if you remember acting out the exploits of your favorite action stars in the backyard, you'll find it incredibly relatable and entertaining.
