You've probably heard about a small group of kids in the 1980s who loved Raiders of the Ark so much that they spent 7 years remaking it shot-for-shot. Maybe you've come across some of the many video tributes to other film fans' faves found online. It's likely you've seen Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind in which characters create thrifty remakes of various cinematic classics. I'd bet you've even played your own screen idols in childhood games. If so, Son of Rambow is sure to bring nostalgic delight.

The story pairs two boys of different backgrounds into a tenuous friendship. One comes from a highly religious household that frowns on just about any amusement a kid enjoys. The other is a devilish delinquent in the making. What bonds them is their creativity and yearning for adventure. With a home video camera they attempt to make a sequel to Rambo where they are the heroes. All the while their peers, families and personal objectives alternately push them onward and mess things up.

The child stars are both newcomers and carry the film on pure exuberance. Their characters don't worry about bad takes, shabby sets or awful extras. When others get involved the added resources are kind of a nuisance. The production is mainly an excuse to go wild in a fantasy world brought to life, an outlet to express themselves loudly in an otherwise repressive environment.

The friends' finished piece is more a diary of shared summer fun than a true "movie." Neither it nor the larger film is especially deep, but that seems besides the point. Rambow nails the magic and glee of unbounded imaginative childhood play. It's a reminder that we create outlandish characters in outrageous situations to not only tell stories but to live them.

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