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"SON OF RAMBOW" (2008) (Bill Milner, Will Poulter) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons *Mild Moderate Heavy Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Extreme None Mild None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Comedy: A reserved boy, brought up in a strict religious household, has his worldview changed when he sees a pirated copy of the original "Rambo" movie and then sets out to make a sequel with his new friend, the school troublemaker. PLOT: It's the 1980s and Will Proudfoot (BILL MILNER) is a young milquetoast who's being raised in a strict, religious household. His widowed mother, Mary (JESSICA STEVENSON), must not only care for him, but also his younger sister and their senile grandmother, all while keeping fellow Brethren church member Joshua (NEIL DUDGEON) at arm's length. Will's religious upbringing means he has limited access to popular entertainment and culture, and must sit out in the hallway when certain things are discussed or shown at school. It's there that he meets Lee Carter (WILL POULTER) the class troublemaker who quickly sizes up Will and realizes he can manipulate and take advantage of him. The two end up back at Lee's home where he lives with his older brother Lawrence (ED WESTWICK) while their mom is out of the country. While there, Will sees footage from the Sly Stallone Rambo movie "First Blood" that Lee has pirated and is amazed and instantly influenced by the action and other behavior on the screen. Keeping his discovery secret from his mom as well as Joshua, Will starts imitating what he observed and then decides he wants to make a sequel to that with Lee to be called "Son of Rambow." With other classmates, including French transfer student Didier (JULES SITRUK) who's treated by others as something akin to being a rock star, joining them, the two boys forge an unlikely friendship and filmmaking team as they start making their low-budget home movie. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? The kids-make-a-movie angle might interest some, but this one doesn't otherwise seem likely to be immensely popular among that demographic. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some violence and reckless behavior. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: BILL MILNER plays a reserved student whose strict religious upbringing has framed his demeanor. All of that changes, however, when he meets Lee and views his pirated copy of the original "Rambo" movie. After that, he acts a bit more wildly and imitates scenes from the film, particularly when he ends up making a sequel with Lee. He also does various illegal (shoplifts) and potentially dangerous (stunts) things. WILL POULTER plays the school troublemaker who initially bullies but then befriends Will, particularly when they start making their film. He uses profanity, smokes a little, pirates movies, only has his older brother as an authority figure and shoplifts. JULES SITRUK plays a foreign exchange student with a rock star type persona that entrances his new classmates. He smokes, makes out with various girls, and decides to star in the "Rambow" film. JESSICA STEVENSON plays Will's devout, single mother who understands the temptations of the outside world, but wants her son to behave within the confines of their religious lifestyle. She must also contend with Joshua showing interest in her. ED WESTWICK plays Lee's older brother who treats him like his personal slave, and briefly uses profanity. NEIL DUDGEON plays a religious guy who likes Mary and shares her beliefs. Thus, he isn't happy with the way Will is suddenly acting up. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 5 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. There's some brief school-aged kissing and making out, while some classic-style statues show male and female nudity. Violence includes footage from the "First Blood" movie, while various school-aged characters fight and/or make contact with others (sometimes with varying degrees of bloody results). That and lots of other behavior (some of it potentially dangerous) might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while it's possible a few scenes might be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers, particularly younger ones. Various bad attitudes are present, as is some smoking by kids, while a scene also features what might be drinking at a kids party, but the beverages are never identified (although one boy rushes outside to vomit). Some tense family material is also present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that early in the film, as well as later from lightning. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, several scenes feature shaky and/or bouncy camerawork. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE There may be drinking of alcohol at a party, but it is never identified (although a student rushes out from that and vomits off the steps). BLOOD/GORE We see footage from "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character holds a large knife to a man's throat, leaving a slightly bloody mark there. We see clips from the movie "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character sews up a bloody cut on his arm. Lee has Will do a blood brother ritual with him, and thus uses a knife to slice Will's palm (resulting in a little bit of blood), and then the two boys hold hands to mix their blood. We see the dried cut on Will's palm. For part of his film, Lee puts some ketchup on his shirt to stand in for blood. Lee steals a dog sculpture (to be used in the boys' film) and we then see that they have it attached to a large kite and thus fly it up into the air. That dog and kite then crash through a window, and cause a teacher who is trimming his nose hair to have those scissors stuck up his nose. When he pulls them out there is blood on them. A student rushes out of a party and vomits off the steps. Joshua chases after and grabs Will as he tried to run away, but the boy breaks free and Joshua falls and rolls across the ground. When he gets up, Joshua has a slightly bloody lip. Lee pushes Will down, followed by Will hitting Lee with a stick. The two boys struggle with Will elbowing Lee, followed by other students throwing rocks at Lee as they chase him off. This includes Will who throws a rock that hits Lee on the head, bloodying him there. Didier has a little bit of blood on his head following an accident. We see part of Will's arm being stitched up. Lee has a black eye and some stitches around his eye following a fight and/or accident. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see Lee videotaping a movie in a movie theater, to be pirated later on. In passing, Lee throws something and hits a man trimming a tree, causing him to fall to the ground. Lee throws a tennis ball that hits Will in the face. In order to get Will to be in his debt, Lee tells him that the school administration tortures students who misbehave. Lee says he'll take the fall for Will, only to get Will's watch as payment. Later, Lee fakes being in pain and does a fake limp to convince Will that he was tortured. We see Lee pickpocket another student. Lee steals a bicycle and then has Will pedal him away in a cart pulled behind the bicycle. A girl at the school has a bad attitude toward Lee, calling him various names. Lee steals a piggy bank from an old man in a nursing home. Lawrence's two friends hold down Lee on the floor and half punch him while Lawrence does something else. Lawrence treats his younger brother like a slave, having him make his food and ordering him around, etc. Will lies to his mother so that he can spend time making his film with Lee. We see Lee shoplift, followed by Will doing the same, although he steals a great deal more (played for comedy). Lee steals a dog sculpture (to be used in the boys' film) and some men chase him, with one crashing into a grocery cart and falling to the street. Lee is suspended, and as he leaves the school, other students throw tennis balls at him. Lee pushes Will down, followed by Will hitting Lee with a stick. The two boys struggle with Will elbowing Lee, followed by other students throwing rocks at Lee as they chase him off. This includes Will who throws a rock that hits Lee on the head, bloodying him there. Didier loses control of a jeep he is driving for part of the film, and Will is thrown from the vehicle and lands in some sort of pool of what looks like oil. Various things, including a large sheet of metal, then fall onto Will trapping him under that oil. Seemingly scared by what has happened, Didier does not attempt to rescue him and leaves the scene. FRIGHTENING SCENES Will has been affected by watching "First Blood," and thus acts out some of the violence he saw. That includes repeatedly jabbing a scarecrow out in the field, but that scarecrow (with an old metal can for a head) suddenly comes to life and grabs the boy by his face, but this is all just a dream or the boy imagining all of that. As part of their movie, Will uses a rope swing to fly out over a lake into which he then falls. He can't swim, however, and sinks (we see him slowly going down under the water) and Lee must rescue him. Didier aims a handgun at Will and walks toward him saying, "You live by the gun, you die by the gun." He then places the gun to Will's head and pulls the trigger but it's just a toy gun (and even puts the gun to his own head and does the same thing to prove that). He is doing this as part of his unsolicited movie audition for Will. We see the scarecrow with the metal can for a head come to life in a field, and then come up behind a kid, but this is all just part of the boys' film. Didier loses control of a jeep he is driving for part of the film, and Will is thrown from the vehicle and lands in some sort of pool of what looks like oil. Various things, including a large sheet of metal, then fall onto Will trapping him under that oil. Lee then rescues Will, but other debris then falls and hits Lee (we don't see the impact, and initially think he might have been killed, but later see him in the hospital with a cast). GUNS/WEAPONS We see footage from "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character holds a large knife to a man's throat, leaving a slightly bloody mark there. Lee steals a piggy bank from an old man in a nursing home. When he can't get it open, he has Will stand against the wall with the piggy bank on his head, and then uses a crossbow arrow to shoot the bank and crack it open. We hear gunfire from the movie "First Blood." We see clips from the movie "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character holds a knife and a machine gun. We see clips from the movie "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character fires a machine gun at others, and drives a truck through parked vehicles, with others shooting machine guns at him, while there are also explosions. While riding a bicycle with his new English friends, Didier spots a bird in the sky and shoots it with his BB gun. We then see the bird fall and hit one of the other boys, knocking him from his bicycle. We hear machine gun fire on a tape playback. As he's driven down the road, Will imagines various cartoon explosions in a nearby field. Didier aims a handgun at Will and walks toward him saying, "You live by the gun, you die by the gun." He then places the gun to Will's head and pulls the trigger but it's just a toy gun (and even puts the gun to his own head and does the same thing to prove that). He is doing this as part of his unsolicited movie audition for Will. We see footage from the real "First Blood" movie inside the boys' movie, and that includes machine guns being fired. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Some slang terms are present that we didn't understand and/or completely hear, but we did note that following phrases: "Oh sh*t," 'You'll be in deep sh*t," what sounded like "He looks like a complete c*ck," "You know damn well what," "Scab," "You idiot," "I am the son of Rambo," "Nutcase," "You freak," "I'll be a monkey's uncle," "Pissed off" (left or went away), "Bollocks," "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "Scabby little friend," "(You ungrateful little) Bastard," "Spazzy," "Kiss my ass," "Jesus, everyone's gone mental," what sounded like "It's a piece of piss," "You're a head-case," "English fools" and "Bloody." Various people smoke in a movie theater, including Lee. We see Lee videotaping a movie in a movie theater, to be pirated later on. In passing, Lee throws something and hits a man trimming a tree, causing him to fall to the ground. We see Will drawing some graffiti on a bathroom stall wall In class, Will holds a mouthful of water from the water fountain, which he later spits into a fishbowl (to keep the water level high). Lee throws a tennis ball that hits Will in the face. We see Lee pickpocket another student. Lee steals a piggy bank from an old man in a nursing home. When he can't get it open, he has Will stand against the wall with the piggy bank on his head, and then uses a crossbow arrow to shoot the bank and crack it open. Lawrence's two friends hold down Lee on the floor and half punch him while Lawrence does something else. Will has been affected by watching "First Blood," and thus acts out some of the violence he saw. Didier has a streak of dyed hair on his head. We see various stunts that the boys use for their film, including Will being thrust through the air via a makeshift seesaw, sliding down a steep hill on something, standing in front of an industrial strength sprinkler that blast him backwards, and jumping from a tree trying to use an umbrella as a parachute (we hear sounds of him bashing into various limbs on the way down, and then see him crash to the ground). While riding a bicycle with his new English friends, Didier spots a bird in the sky and shoots it with his BB gun. We then see the bird fall and hit one of the other boys, knocking him from his bicycle. Will saws through his shoes in order to fool his mother that he needs to go and have them repaired, when he is really off to make his movie with Lee. We see Lee shoplift, followed by Will doing the same, although he steals a great deal more (played for comedy). We see a line of kids touching each other with Didier at one end and another boy at the other. The latter touches exposed electrical wiring, causing a shock to pass through all of the boys over to Didier, with the cigarette in his mouth then lighting from that. Lee and Will dress up a nursing home patient to look like Rambo (with a long wig on his head). Lee uses his hand as a movie clapper (with imagery on his hand to make it look like the real thing). As part of their movie, Will uses a rope swing to fly out over a lake into which he then falls. He can't swim, however, and sinks (we see him slowly going down under the water) and Lee must rescue him. Lee has Will do a blood brother ritual with him, and thus uses a knife to slice Will's palm (resulting in a little bit of blood), and then the two boys hold hands to mix their blood. For part of his film, Lee puts some ketchup on his shirt to stand in for blood. Lee steals a dog sculpture (to be used in the boys' film) and we then see that they have it attached to a large kite and thus fly it up into the air. Didier aims a handgun at Will and walks toward him saying, "You live by the gun, you die by the gun." He then places the gun to Will's head and pulls the trigger but it's just a toy gun (and even puts the gun to his own head and does the same thing to prove that). He is doing this as part of his unsolicited movie audition for Will. Various students have ties tied around their heads. Some students, including Will, mix pop rocks with soda in their mouths. We see a flashback to Mary bouncing up and down on her bed as a young girl. Lee tries to climb up some ivy to get into Will's room, but it pulls away and he falls to the ground. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 5 "s" words, what sounded like 1 slang term using male genitals ("c*ck"), 1 ass, 1 bollocks, 1 damn, 1 hell, 3 uses of "Jesus," 2 of "Jesus Christ" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "God," "Oh my God" and "Swear to God." SEX/NUDITY Various classic statues in Lee's home show bare breasts as well as male full frontal nudity. We see Didier passionately kissing a female classmate. We then see a line of girls with messy lipstick, suggesting he's been kissing all of them. We see a miscellaneous young couple making out at a party. At a party, Will stars at various girls' legs. Later, he might be drawing bare breasts in his notebook, but there is so much else on the page that it's hard to tell exactly what we are seeing. SMOKING Didier smokes a number of times, Lee smokes at least twice, and various miscellaneous characters smoke in several scenes (including in a movie theater). We see a line of kids touching each other with Didier at one end and another boy at the other. The latter touches exposed electrical wiring, causing a shock to pass through all of the boys over to Didier, with the cigarette in his mouth then lighting from that. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Will smells his late father's coat, and finds that man's wristwatch. We hear that Will's father died in the past from an aneurysm while mowing the lawn. We hear that Lee's father left before the boy was born, and that his mother spends most of her time in another country with her boyfriend, leaving Lawrence to "raise" Lee. Lawrence treats his younger brother like a slave, having him make his food and ordering him around, etc. Mary and her family will be kicked out of their church if she can't control Will. Will then goes off to their shed where he cries and is joined by his mother who does the same. She later tries to explain the strictness of their religion and how it also affected her as a child. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT We see Will and others of his religion holding a religious service outside a movie theater showing the movie "First Blood." We see Lee videotaping a movie in a movie theater, to be pirated later on. Will not being allowed to watch TV due to his religion. Will has been affected by watching "First Blood," and thus acts out some of the violence he saw. Lee has Will do a blood brother ritual with him, and thus uses a knife to slice Will's palm (resulting in a little bit of blood), and then the two boys hold hands to mix their blood. We see Lee shoplift, followed by Will doing the same, although he steals a great deal more (played for comedy). Mary tells Will about when she was young, fell in love with a song, and bought a record player to play it. We then see footage of the record player being burned, all as a result of her strict religion not allowing that. VIOLENCE We see footage from "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character holds a large knife to a man's throat, leaving a slightly bloody mark there. In passing, Lee throws something and hits a man trimming a tree, causing him to fall to the ground. Lee throws a tennis ball that hits Will in the face. As the two struggle moments later, a fishbowl is knocked from a table and breaks on the floor. Lee whacks Will on his head with his notebook. Lawrence's two friends hold down Lee on the floor and half punch him while Lawrence does something else. We hear gunfire from the movie "First Blood." We see clips from the movie "First Blood" where Sylvester Stallone's character fires a machine gun at others, and drives a truck through parked vehicles, with others shooting machine guns at him, while there are also explosions. Lee presses Will back against the wall and threatens to smash his face in if he does something Lee doesn't want him to. While riding a bicycle with his new English friends, Didier spots a bird in the sky and shoots it with his BB gun. We then see the bird fall and hit one of the other boys, knocking him from his bicycle. We see a line of kids touching each other with Didier at one end and another boy at the other. The latter touches exposed electrical wiring, causing a shock to pass through all of the boys over to Didier, with the cigarette in his mouth then lighting from that. Lee steals a dog sculpture (to be used in the boys' film) and some men chase him, with one crashing into a grocery cart and falling to the street. Lee grabs Will and then has him in a headlock. Lee steals a dog sculpture (to be used in the boys' film) and we then see that they have it attached to a large kite and thus fly it up into the air. That dog and kite then crash through a window, and cause a teacher who is trimming his nose hair to have those scissors stuck up his nose. When he pulls them out there is blood on them. Lee is suspended, and as he leaves the school, other students throw tennis balls at him. Didier aims a handgun at Will and walks toward him saying, "You live by the gun, you die by the gun." He then places the gun to Will's head and pulls the trigger but it's just a toy gun (and even puts the gun to his own head and does the same thing to prove that). He is doing this as part of his unsolicited movie audition for Will. We see some fake ninja hitting and kicking as part of the boys' movie. As he usually does, Lee grabs Will, but other students who are now Will's friends grab Lee (who they don't know yet). Will says it's okay, but Lee punches one of the boys in the face (not knowing who they are). While filming a scene for their movie, Lee hits the scarecrow character with a stick, but the stick bounces off and hits Didier on the head, knocking him to the floor. Lee tries to climb up some ivy to get into Will's room, but it pulls away and he falls to the ground. Joshua chases after and grabs Will as he tried to run away, but the boy breaks free and Joshua falls and rolls across the ground. When he gets up, Joshua has a slightly bloody lip. Lee pushes Will down, followed by Will hitting Lee with a stick. The two boys struggle with Will elbowing Lee, followed by other students throwing rocks at Lee as they chase him off. This includes Will who throws a rock that hits Lee on the head, bloodying him there. Didier loses control of a jeep he is driving for part of the film, and Will is thrown from the vehicle and lands in some sort of pool of what looks like oil. Various things, including a large sheet of metal, then fall onto Will trapping him under that oil. Lee that rescues Will, but other debris then falls and hits Lee (we don't see the impact, and initially think he might have been killed, but later see him in the hospital with a cast). There is some faked punching in the boys' movie. Reviewed March 31, 2008 / Posted May 22, 2008

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