Line #29 Film/SonOfRambow


1	[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonoframbow_2221.jpg]]
2	[[TheEighties England, 1982.]]
3
4	Meet schoolboy Will Proudfoot (Creator/BillMilner), the [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric]] but kindhearted son of the beautiful widow Mary Proudfoot (Creator/JessicaHynes), who has a vibrant imagination that could conquer the world. A pity it's suppressed by the fundamentalist sect the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Brethren Plymouth Brethren]], which has entrapped his family for generations. The only outlet for his creativity is an old bible, which he uses to collect a series of elaborate drawings.
5
6	Meet delinquent Lee "devil-child" Carter (Creator/WillPoulter), [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour a broken and cynical boy of Will's age]] who is [[PromotionToParent looked after by his apathetic brother]] while [[ParentalAbandonment his mother treks through Spain with her new boyfriend.]] His routine includes [[{{Jerkass}} vandalism, shoplifting, smoking, making bootleg videos and generally being a menace to show the world how strong he is.]] He's a miniature [[Film/AClockworkOrange Alex DeLarge in the making,]] but somewhere inside he still [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold wants to be loved.]]
7
8	In spite of their differences, Will and Lee are brought together by a mutual interest in creative expression, and they end up remaking ''Film/FirstBlood'' with nothing more than a cheap camera and a makeshift movie set. By the end of the summer, [[OddFriendship they become the best of friends.]]
9	-----
10	!!This film provides the following examples:
11	* TheEighties: Set in 1982, shortly after the theatrical release of ''First Blood.''
12	* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: When Will briefly befriends the superficial, socially popular Didier, he starts to ignore his true friend and former fellow social outcast Lee. This goes on until Lee rescues Will from a life-threatening situation caused by Didier's cowardice.
13	* AmusingInjuries: The film follows this trope until drama requires otherwise, and then injuries can turn ''quite'' deadly serious.
14	* ArtShift: Will's Dream as the son of Rambo.
15	* BrokenAce: Didier, the impossibly cool French foreign exchange student, is revealed to be a bit of a coward and not at all admired by his fellow Frenchmen.
16	* TheBully:
17	** Lee is a bit of a bully with Will and continues to manhandle Will up until the third act, when Didier's posse attacks him in Will's defense.
18	** Lee is himself bullied by his brother's friends, showing where he gets it from.
19	* BullyTurnedBuddy: Lee's friendship with Will.
20	* CatholicSchoolgirlsRule: "St. Mary's is just down the road, and they're all Catholic!"
21	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Will, sweet Will.
22	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Didier, so beautiful that he has an UnwantedHarem of girls '''and''' boys.
23	* EverybodySmokes: This being 1982, people are lighting up in the movie theater, including Lee! Didier also smokes.
24	* EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench: Didier the French exchange student is treated like a rock star by the British students, but he seems to be a social outcast among his countrymen.
25	* {{Jerkass}}: Lee Carter, initially. With a threat to "smash your face in," has Will help make the film. Otherwise [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]]; he can be quite caustic, particularly to Will, but otherwise friendly enough.
26	* JerkassRealization: Lawrence Carter is quite dismissive of his younger brother Lee, and seems more concerned with his smashed camera than with his hospitalised brother. Will then shows Lawrence, on the tape, Lee's furious, tearful defence of Lawrence's honour. To [[spoiler: the edited footage, Will and Lawrence add a scene where]] the [[spoiler: Evil Scarecrow]] turns out to be [[spoiler: Colonel Chapman's brother]].
27	-->'''Lawrence:''' Tell my brother I was... thinking of him... tell him I'm sorry... I haven't been there for him and that, yeah? And say, I know we haven't been much of a family and all that, but... but he's all I've got too.
28	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Lee Carter, eventually. Having pulled from the lake non-swimmer Will, sincere concern for his stuntman, and admiration of Will's ideas, genders friendship. Lee is also deeply loyal to his older brother.
29	* MetafictionalTitle: The film gets its name from the film Will and Lee are making during the story.
30	* OddFriendship: Will and Lee are complete opposites, but befriend each other through their joint venture.
31	* ParentalAbandonment: Will's father died of a stroke. Lee's father left him before he was born, and his mother spends most of her time out of the country.
32	* ParodySue: Didier, the seemingly perfect androgynous stud is just as innocent and immature as other boys his age.
33	* PrettyBoy: Didier Revol, a stylish French exchange student fawned over by boys and girls alike.
34	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lee gives one to Will after rescuing him from a dangerous situation caused by FalseFriend Didier's cowardice. Lee correctly says that Will abandoned a loyal friend who had his back for the sake of being popular as a sidekick of the superficial Didier.
35	* ScaryScarecrow: On Will's school route, a field holds a scarecrow with an angry bucket for a head. In a NightmareSequence, with a tree branch arm, it grabs Will.
36	-->'''Evil Scarecrow:''' [[AC: Who are you?!!]]
37	-->'''Will:''' ... I am the Son of Rambow! [[NotAfraidOfYouAnyMore What have you done with my dad?!]]
38	* ShoutOut:
39	** ''Film/FirstBlood'' is the catalyst of the film, and numerous scenes are featured.
40	** When Lee Carter is being suspended, the teacher shouts at one child named [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Taylor-Johnson Sam Taylor-Wood]].
41	** The kids' short film is screened before ''Film/{{Yentl}}''
42	** Lee was apparently inspired to film his "Screen Test" by the BBC show ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_Test Screen Test]]''. A few brief scenes of the show are seen, including the moment when [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Pinkava Jan Pinkava]] receives his award.
43	* ShowWithinAShow: Types 1 - the remaking of ''Film/FirstBlood''.
44	* SmokingIsCool: Lee smokes as part of his bad-boy persona, and Didier smokes because he's an impossibly cool and exotic French kid.
45	* StylisticSuck: The film within a film is obviously the work of amateur school kids.
46	* ThrowItIn: In Universe. When Lee, during filming, is accidentally hit by Didier, it is explained away by Lee being "a double."
47	* TitleDrop: The title is proclaimed by Will in the beginning of his dream.
48	* TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour: Were it not for his friendship with Will, Lee Carter would never have felt what it was like to be a real little boy.
49	%%* WideEyedIdealist: Will again.

Context Film / SonOfRambow