Today, life and art are lived online thanks to camera phones, you-post-it videos and digital camcorders that weigh less than a pound.

But "Son of Rambow" is set in the 1980s, when someone who wanted to make (or bootleg) a movie had to lug around a clunky camcorder that nevertheless seemed like a miracle machine.

And shooting a movie, inspired by "First Blood," with Sylvester Stallone as ex-Green Beret John Rambo haunted by the ghosts of Vietnam, is just what British boys do in this charmer that's steeped in nostalgia and wide-eyed innocence.

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'Son of Rambow'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

• Starring: Bill Milner, Will Poulter.
• Rating: PG-13 for some violence and reckless behavior.
• Web site: 'Son of Rambow'

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"Son of Rambow" is a coming-of-age comedy about two schoolmates who appear to have little in common. Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner), part of the Brethren religious sect that forbids music, television and movies, lives with his widowed mother, younger sister and ailing grandmother.

Lee Carter (Will Poulter) is a blond bully whose only supervision comes from his older brother (Ed Westwick, "Gossip Girl"), who either ignores or browbeats him. They live in an apartment attached to a care home, and their absent mother is only occasionally reachable on a mobile phone the size of a brick.

Under the threat of having his face "smashed in," Will becomes Lee's collaborator in an action epic he's making on the fly and sly. Will is already a secretive artist who can turn a book or wall into a canvas, and watching a pirated copy of "First Blood" and joining Lee's video venture allow his imagination to take flight.

The boys' collaboration is jeopardized when a cool French exchange student and those who slavishly copy or worship him decide they want to be part of the project. On top of that, the religious community increasingly tries to tame Will.

"Son of Rambow," written and directed by Garth Jennings, is a joyous throwback to the 1980s and an examination of two boys who have been dealt some hard knocks and what their unlikely friendship means. As Will, young Milner is reminiscent of Freddie Highmore, while Poulter has to don Lee's bully-boy shell and then show us what lurks underneath.

For anyone who lived through synth pop music and Pop Rocks (here Space Dust candy), it's fun to revisit the frightful fashions and trends that seemed so chic back then and to watch an action hero inspire such a crazy, pure burst of creativity. These students are making a movie without, or in spite of, adult supervision, finding cinematic common ground and growing up in the process.

"Son of Rambow," opening at the Squirrel Hill Theater, takes a few serious turns -- with lots of don't-try-this-at-home moves -- but it's a crowd-pleasing alternative or supplement to movies with bigger budgets, names and stunts.