Patman

Look, if you've seen the previews for "August Rush", then you probably won't be too surprised by the ending, but a film like this is more about the journey than the destination. It features the story of "August Rush", a child musical prodigy, who just wants to find his parents after being left at a boy's home at birth. I didn't much enjoy the film's first half as it lays down the events that lead to the improbable convergence of father, mother and child via music, but when the film is about the music, it hits on all cylinders, and soars to a nice finish. If you've ever doubted the power of music in films, I would be hard-pressed to believe that viewers don't fight back tears as the ending unfolds. If you're still dried-eyed at the end, you're emotionally deaf, or I'm becoming a big ol' softie in my advancing years. Is it manipulative, of course, but it earns most of the sentiment, and the use of music as a homing beacom for a separated family is both sublime and earned.

Freddie Highmore (August/Evan) heads a good cast, along with Keri Russell (mom), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (dad), Robin Williams (manager), Terrance Howard (social worker). Highmore has this way of accessing the emotional markers in any of his scenes, even though August is a bit naive to the ways of the world, but doesn't let it get in the ways of his dreams.

I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.

Fielding Mellish

Keri Russell makes me think non-Family Approved thoughts.

mdc3000

I haven't left a movie in a long time, but I couldn't get through the first 30 minutes of this one, so I switched my ticket to another flick. The dialogue was too stilted and cheesy and I found the editing to be kind of sloppy... I'll probably give it another try on video, but it seemed too contrived and melodramatic in the first 30min for me to bother sticking around... I thought the trailer looked intriguing but the execution (or what I saw of it) was really poor. (I'm stunned you graded this on a par with The Mist, which I thought was excellent!) Maybe I'm becoming a cynic...

Patman

Well, you left after 30 minutes, and I acknowledged that the 1st half wasn't strong, but then the film kicks into another gear, and I forgave most of the awkward 1st half of the film, and just went with it. The Mist, OTOH, squandered 90% of the film with an awful ending, and basically pissed me off with its resolution, and left a bad taste in my mouth.

"August Rush" is more about musical connective tissue that connects people, even if only for a few minutes/hours at a time, with music. The film stumbles out of the gate, but finished strong. "The Mist" is about FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) and how people respond to it. It started out well, sagged a bit in the middle, but stumbled badly at the end. I grade moreso by genre, so for "August Rush", a drama influenced by music, I compared it to other films of that ilk and came up with a grade. I did the same with "The Mist" and its sci-fi/horror genre and came up with a grade.

duluthdemon

Amen.

It's a mess of a film. Doesn't know what direction to head in.

Gerry P.

"Robin Williams" and "good cast" don't belong in the same sentence.

I think i'll skip this one.

Giles

ever time I see the trailer or a publicity pic of Robin, it makes me wanna wretch... this looks so insanely cheezy. A friend of mine really wants to see this and I know he's going to want to see it with him...

uncle-frank

same, i left and went to american gangster. if only i had done that when i saw into the wild. so many things wrong with that movie