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As I've already mentioned, I was really surprised to see that this movie was playing at the cheap theater. It's still there this week, for any of you who might be interested!

Son of Rambow is about an imaginative boy named Will Proudfoot. Will's family is a member of the Plymouth Brethren, and as such, he is not allowed to watch tv or movies. At school, he is sent out of the room when his class watches a video, and in the hallway, he meets a troublemaker named Lee Carter. The two strike up an odd friendship with each other (Will is quirky and Lee is a sort of bully) and Lee exposes Will to his first movie, which is Rambo: First Blood. An explosion of creativity sets off in Wills brain, and we see on the screen what his imagination looks like through a mix of film and animation. Lee decides he is going to make a movie and that Will will be his stunt man. Will writes the story for the movie, which features himself as the Son of Rambow (he didn't know how to spell it right). As the filming progresses, the two develop a real friendship, which later gets tested when the coolest guy in school (a French exchange student who looks a little bit like Prince) decides to get involved.

There are so many fun things about this movie. First of all, it's simple. It's not a loud comedy. Will, played perfectly by Bill Milner, is different because of his religious background, and doesn't quite fit in socially. His odd understanding of the world, mixed with his creativity, creates a flawed but lovable kid. One of my favorite things he does is call his friend by his full name, Lee Carter. It's never just, "Hey, Lee!" - it's always, "Lee Carter!" at the beginning of his sentences. It's those simple bits of dialog and the way Milner delivers them that made me laugh the most.

There's also an awesome soundtrack that suits my tastes wonderfully. It's a movie set in the early 80s, and the soundtrack (as well as the fashion, actually) is filled with what was popular at the time. The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Depeche Mode are just a few of the bands that are featured. And featured is the key word there - the music is always prominently showing off a character as being cool. It's all music that Will has never heard, and when he comes home humming DM's "I Just Can't Get Enough" his mom has to talk to him about worldly music. So it's not just a passive soundtrack. I like that.

As I mentioned earlier, we can see what Will imagines a lot. There are small scenes of CGI (like when he imagines a scarecrow is a villain) as well as animation in the style of Will's own drawings (imagining bombs dropping on a field). It's a creative touch that lets us connect to Will a bit more. Since he's a little oddball, it's good to have elements like this to help us understand his point of view. It's fun to watch as well.

Speaking of fun, the Son of Rambow movie that the characters create is very entertaining in itself. It's great to watch Will and Lee film their stunts, but even better to see how it all comes together in the end. But it's only a part of this movie, which does spend a lot of time on character development, and also has a few things to say about friendship. I even like how they handled the issues with the Brethren without being too preachy.

Overall, I think my sister and I both thought this was a fun movie. It's simple, sweet, and funny without blowing your socks off. There may be some moments that feel familiar, but I think it's unique enough to stand its own ground. I remember hearing about it as the talk of the town at some film festivals, but then was deterred from seeing it based on some reviews that seemed to be disappointed after all of the hype it received. I think Son of Rambow doesn't need to be hyped, but it a solid little film with some memorable characters, a few genuine moments, and plenty of friendly laughs.