Son of Rambow

An English schoolboy (Bill Milner) rebels against his strict religious upbringing by befriending the school delinquent (Will Poulter); together they undertake an amateur filmmaking project that catches the fancy of their whole school. Writer-director Garth Jennings aims for a transatlantic blend of blue-collar British whimsy (The Full Monty) and the adolescent comedies of John Hughes (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)—and your reaction to the result will depend on whether you think that’s a good idea to begin with. There’s a messy, anarchic spirit that feels forced and false, and in trying to turn his antiheroes into a British Tom and Huck, Jennings leans heavily on the charms of his two young stars, which are not unlimited; they seem more at home in London Central Casting than the sixth-form common room.