August Rush
Posted on March 11, 2008 at 8:00 am
Those who are willing to open their hearts to this urban fairy tale will find its pleasures, as long as they they don’t think about it too hard.
It is a music-saturated story of a young orphan who believes he can create music so powerful that it will bring his parents to him. Evan (Freddie Highmore) has no access to instruments or musical training in the isolated orphanage he has lived in since he was a baby. But he hears music everywhere, and it is such a powerful force in his life that he is certain it connects him to his missing family.
Evan’s parents are Lyla (Keri Russell), a gifted cellist, and Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) a promising Irish rock singer. They share one magical night and then are separated by Lyla’s overbearing father, who gives her baby up for adoption and tells her he is dead. She does not find out he is still alive until he has left the orphanage. Louis, who does not know where Lyla is or that she had a baby, has some job in San Francisco where he wears a suit.
Evan runs away to New York, where the music and rhythm of the streets are like a giant symphony all around him, every sound a part of the orchestra. He meets up with a Fagin-like character named Wizard (Robin Williams) who lives with a fleet of busking boys in an abandoned theater. He sends them out to play for money, which they give him in return for his protection from the streets and from child services, both apparently equally treacherous. Wizard renames Evan after a sign he sees for a beach resort: August Rush. Wizard gives him a guitar. But soon the now-August is on the run again, now to a church, where a kind minister (Mykelti Williamson) brings him to Julliard, where he deemed a musical genius and studies composition with college students. His piece is selected for a concert in the park, where all of the various themes — musical and otherwise — come together.
It never quite captures the mythic tone it aims for, but it is held together by Russell, who is both dewy and resolute, Terrance Howard as a compassionate social worker, and the music, which saturates the film with seamlessly integrated sound, meshing classical, rock, folk, and street music together into one glorious swirl.
Parents should know that this “Oliver Twist”-style story of a homeless orphan has scenes with threats of abuse, bullies, tense confrontations, peril, brief drug reference, drinking and drunkenness, a mild sexual situation with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and brief strong language.
Family discussion: Can you hear music in what is going on around you? This movie has many different kinds of music. Which ones do you like the best and why?
If you like this, try: Vitus
Nell, You are waaay to forgiving of this films faults. August Rush not only uses every cliche possible, but also copies every gimmick used in a major motion picture in the last 20 years. Even the music is [inexcusbaly] awful. In fact, if you know anything about music, especially guitar or classical, you’ll downright insulted by the film. All this plus the added bonus of implied sexual intercourse between teenage strangers resulting in an out-of-wedlock birth-given-up-to-an-orphanage. Rent OLIVER instead – or better yet, if you want to be inspired by street music, visit a major metro area and toss a few bucks into a street performer’s collection can. This movie was the biggest disappointement I’ve had at the box office in the last 5 years.
Well, Michael, one person’s cliche is another person’s archetype; one person’s copy is another person’s sampling. I know a lot of people were disappointed by this film, but I accepted it as a fairy tale or fantasy about the power of music. It sounds like the biggest difference was in our expectations going in. And I liked the music by Kaki King.
I think this movie was fantastic. I think it also has a valuble lesson for kids about music, which you can only find by watching it. Great review Nell!
Thanks, Kristen! I hope this movie finds its audience. I think a lot of people rejected it for the wrong reasons, not appreciating it as a fairy tale.
Evan played the accoustic guitar with a method kind of a cross between Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. The character he was portraying seemed authentic and even if it fell into every kind of predictable cliche imaginable, music has always brought us together at some point in our lives…
Right on, HFC. Thanks for a beautiful comment very much in the spirit of the film, which is intended as a fairy tale and not supposed to be realistic.