Son of Rambow (2007)

Former promo director Garth Jennings made a splash at Sundance in 2006 when he sold Son of Rambow for major dollars.

That, however, placed the heavy burden of hype on the shoulders of what turns out to be a slender film. It is, at heart, a wonderfully eccentric film about two boys from the opposite sides of the tracks who come together to celebrate their love of Rambo: First Blood in the wasteland of eighties suburban England.

Employing explosive flights of fantasy and a keen line in nostalgia, Jennings has a classic kids’ film at his feet, which he then blows with an ill-conceived subplot involving a French exchange that takes the focus off his two charismatic leads for too long. It’s a real shame.