Son of Rambow (2007) released 2008

This sweet movie, the second outing for writer-director Garth Jennings (his first was directing Douglas Adams' zany adaptation of Adams' own brilliant book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in 2007) has garnered some nominations from fellow Brits for Jennings and his young stars, Bill Milner and Will Poulter. Will (Milner), a sheltered boy from a religious community called the Brethren, and Lee (Poulter), the bad-boy-with-absent-parents in the elementary school forge an unlikely friendship over a mutual love of a Rambo movie and, hey, kids, let's put on a show! As a former film student I particularly liked when they said, "We're losing the light," and "At least we got the shot." Because this is set in the Rambo 1980's, their production is on videotape, and the older kids are done up with big ratty hair and lots of eyeliner. The French exchange student (Jules Sitruk) is a riot. Will's mom (not a very big part) is played by Jessica Stevenson Hynes, who was in the mock-umentary Confetti (2006), which I thought was very funny, with Martin Freeman, who starred in Hitchhiker's Guide. Asa Butterfield, who is gaining kudos for The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, has one line, as a child in the Brethren. The soundtrack is dotted with pop music from that decade. Be sure you wait to hear the voice-over at the very end of the credits!