August Rush Reviews

• Music and the Harmony of the Universe: A Film for Dreamers

  
  By A328S9RN3U5M68 on 2008-03-20
  AUGUST RUSH will not go down in history as a profound film: many will even go so far as to dismiss it as kitsch, maudlin, and a simpleton take off on 'Oliver Twist', and other pejoratives. For this viewer the little film is tender and frequently requires suspension of belief, but in the end the idea of the story does indeed bring a tear to the eye.
  
  Based on a story by Paul Castro and Nick Castle and transformed for the screen by Castle and James V. Hart, the premise is that of a fairytale, but an unusual fairytale built around the impact of music. On one magic night in New York City classical cellist Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and popular Irish guitarist/singer Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) meet on a rooftop, languishing in their own disappointments with life and finding solace in each other's arms, and that night Lyla becomes pregnant, never to see Louis again, and struggling to keep her baby despite her father's demands to abort. Lyla delivers her baby boy, but the child is immediately taken away (Lyla is told the child was stillborn). 'Evan Taylor' AKA August Rush (Freddie Highmore) is placed in an orphanage, longing for parents he believes he can 'hear' in the music of the spheres. Compelled to find his parents he escapes the orphanage after eleven years and is taken in by Faginesque Maxwell 'Wizard' Wallace (Robin Williams) who teaches his street urchins the fine art of pick pocketing and playing music on the streets as buskers. Renamed August Rush, Evan has uncommon musical talents and rapidly becomes a big money maker for Wizard while at the same time being discovered as a potential pupil for Juilliard by Reverend James (Mykelti Williamson) and his girl singer Hope (Jamia Simone Nash) with assistance from kindly social worker Richard Jefferies (Terrence Howard). August Rush composes a rhapsody that is to be played in Central Park, a chance to place his music before the world and attract his parents, both of whom have returned to music careers after eleven years absence and learn of the existence of August Rush, their 'unknown son'. And yes, the ending is a happily ever after one...
  
  Kirsten Sheridan directs with a sure hand and a keen eye toward make believe. The cast is strong, especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and the musical score, a very mixed bag, provides a suitable background for the story. This is one of those movies that asks us to go along with a lot of improbable events, but the pleasure of the experience is worth the journey. Grady Harp, March 08
  
  

• The Music that Brings Us Together

  
  By A18G7GG53G2X8A on 2007-11-20
  "August Rush" is a fairy tale. It doesn't have princes, princesses, evil stepmothers, witches, or big bad wolves, but it's a fairy tale nonetheless. And as such, it tells a story that resonates so strongly with its audience that it casts a magic spell. This movie is told in the language of music, and it exemplifies the harmonic connections between people, the rhythmic bonds that can never be broken in spite of distance and time. It's also told in the language of faith, of the belief that love will indeed conquer all. No, this is not a realistic idea, but that's not the point. Isn't it nice that we have films like this to escape to when realism is bringing us down? Isn't it wonderful when we find that one film that can raise our spirits? "August Rush" was that film for me, and I recommend it to anyone in need of a rejuvenating emotional boost.
  
  The film stars Freddie Highmore as an orphan named Evan Taylor, a quiet yet determined musical prodigy. He was born as the result of a chance encounter between two musicians: an Irish rock guitarist named Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a classically trained American cellist named Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell). While living in New York City, they met and separated through twists of fate--Lyla's controlling father (William Sadler) doesn't take the news of her unplanned pregnancy very well, and when she's hit by a car and injured, he uses that opportunity to make her believe that her baby did not survive. In reality, the baby was delivered and put into the legal system as a parentless orphan. Lyla and Louis go their separate ways, believing that they would never see each other again.
  
  In the present day, their eleven-year-old son Evan lives in an orphanage with a number of broken-spirited boys. They're so disillusioned that they bully him into believing as they do. They constantly tell him that no one is coming for him, that his ability to hear music in everything makes him nothing more than a freak. And they will not stand for his belief that he actually hears the music of his parents calling out to him. But Evan refuses to sink to their level of hopelessness; he runs away to New York City, where the music seems to be beckoning him towards his destiny. It's there he meets Wizard (Robin Williams), a shady musician who houses a number of musically inclined children in an abandoned theater. He, too, is beaten down by life, so much so that he uses these children for his own financial gain. When he discovers Evan's natural ability to play the guitar, he gives him the pseudonym August Rush and forces him to perform in parks and on street corners.
  
  Lyla, meanwhile, is living in Chicago as a music teacher. Single and without any children, she seems complacent yet stable in her new life. But all that changes when (1) she's offered a change to once again play with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and (2) she learns that her baby did not die eleven years ago. With a powerful yet unexplainable determination, she travels back to New York on a quest to find her long lost son, a quest that will hopefully be added by her playing of the cello. Hoping to help find Evan is Richard Jeffries (Terrence Howard), a social worker who met the boy when he was still living at the orphanage.
  
  And then, of course, there's Louis, who has since gone on to be a businessman in San Francisco. His band members haven't forgiven him for leaving, least of all his brother, Marshall (Alex O'Loughlin). But worst of all, Louis hasn't been able to forgive himself, and upon seeing footage of himself performing on stage, he remembers the love he felt for Lyla. The memory is so strong that's he vows to reunite with her. This journey of finding lost love leads him from Chicago back to New York City, where he's inspired to rejoin with his band and restart his singing career. Much like his son--whom he doesn't know exists--Louis is a gifted guitar player; one can hear his passion and energy with every chord, and his music operates at the same frequency as Lyla's cello playing.
  
  As you can probably tell, most of the film thrives on serendipity, and it gets more and more prominent with every passing scene. A kind-hearted pastor eventually takes Evan in, and when made aware of his musical genius, they send him to the Julliard School of Music. He composes a piece within the first six months of his stay, one that the faculty believes is good enough to be performed. Thus sets into motion the events leading to one of the most satisfying endings of any movie I've seen this year, a scene so touching that I was in awe. As I listened to Evan's "August's Rhapsody," I felt as if I had been enveloped in the folds of hope, love, and happiness; the earthiness of the chimes blended perfectly with the smoothness of the violins and the energy of the guitars, all of which made his unwavering faith in the power of connection perfectly clear.
  
  This is the magic of "August Rush," a film so wonderful that I cannot recommend it enough. It's a modern day fable with a timeless message, and it comes across so well that I never once stopped to consider how implausible it is. Plausibility doesn't even come into play, here. What does come into play is the emotional impact, the sense that we can get something out of it if we surrender to pure fantasy. Evan opens the film by saying, "Music is all around us--all we have to do is listen." This is one of the year's best films, and if you keep that quote in mind when seeing it, you'll be more inclined to agree.
  
  

• "Music is Harmonic Connection between all living beings -- The Wizard"

  
  By A3AVJCB1ZD6ZY5 on 2007-11-25
  Some people hear the rhythm in a step, the strident beauty of a police siren, the whip of a powerline in the wind. Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) doesn't get a decent night's sleep in the orphanage because of it. His fellow inmates call him freak because he believes both his parents are living and they'll come for him--if only he call out with the music that connects them.
  
  As he says, "I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales." So, Evan decides after eleven years and some days to escape the orphanage and go find the music--and his parents.
  
  Even ends up in New York City with zero street smarts. He really doesn't even know how to cross the road. A fortunate encounter puts him near Arthur (Leon G. Thomas III), a street busker his age who's willing to help--for a price. Arthur introduces him to Wizard (Robin Williams) who gives musically talented street kids a place to stay in exchange for half their take. The Wizard quickly discovers that Evan, who he renames August Rush, is a prodigy and is making some plans for the lad.
  
  Meanwhile, we learn that Even's mom Lyla Novacek (Kerri Russell) had only been with Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) one night. The Julliard educated cellist was in an accident while pregnant and her father decided to sign her name and give up her son--telling Lyla that he'd died. Instead of the stage career her father envisioned, Lyla mostly gave up music and taught--til Julliard called her for a special concert in Central Park.
  
  Louis has always longed for Lyla, the girl who got away. He gave up his music and became a manager. When he brings a girl to meet his family, they play a song he'd written for the band after Lyla's departure from his life. He's determined to find Lyla. When he believes she is married, he ends up in New York with no particular goals in mind except to find his music again.
  
  "August Rush" is just as much about the musical ties that bind us as the three people whose stories it tells. In my opinion, the best performances were the kids: Evan-August, Arthur and Hope (Jamia Simone Nash). This trio kept you captivated and cheering.
  
  Of course, the soundtrack is fabulous. You have Kaki King on the guitar as well as vocals from John Legend and John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting fame). I'm ordering the soundtrack tonight and I really don't often like movie soundtracks well enough to order.
  
  I wasn't the only person who'd give this film 5 stars. This is one of the rare films I've attended where many of the audience stood and applauded at the end. While this is a family film, I did notice that some of the younger children got restless and needed some explanation of what was going on.
  
  

• "Bad! Unbelievably Bad!"

  
  By A2IG2FG7L85RMU on 2008-03-23
  This film has been widely classified as "a fairy tale" for our times. But a fairy tale, as Bruno Bettleheim pointed out long ago, contains gritty elements of psychological realism and represents symbolically through its ogres and witches the dangers which all children confront on the road to maturity.
  
  "August Rush," on the other hand is just an indulgent exercise in New Age Wish Fulfillment. It could more accurately be classified not as a fairy tale but, to put it mildly, as "a vast betrayal of life." Consider in this regard its opening. A rock musician scores after a first meeting with a classical cellist on the rooftop of a Greenwich Village flat. She learns after their one-night-stand that she's pregnant. Naturally, these two individuals of low responsibility, separated after their only encounter by a controlling Hollywood-type parent, continue to hunger for each over an eleven year period. Yeah, right! Similarly, the controlling parent allows his erring daughter to bear the child, but then forges her signature to give it up for adoption. Shades of pleasing everybody, "Juno" or "Murphy Brown" style. Out of wedlock liasons are given a pass, so as to be thought daring, but pregnancies are then carried to term, so as not to the offend the pro-life section of the audience. This is once again the Hollywood mentality, trying to have things both ways, beginning with the seemingly daring, but landing on a very neat, conventional trajectory.
  
  The film, sad to say, goes from bed to worse. Children, I'm sure, would quickly see through its escalating preposterousness. Some weak-minded adults, on the other hand, interested in instant uplift, might be inclined to find it "spiritual" and "exhilarating." As Oscar Wilde said in another context, "only a man without a heart" could fail to laugh at the trials and tribulations of the characters in "August Rush."
  
  The only bearable performance, for my money, is that of Freddie Highmore, a talented child actor. Unfortunately, however, he may be finding himself, like Haley Joel Osment earlier, pushed into bad roles that undermine his ostensible skills. "August Rush," I'd argue, is Freddie Highmore's "Pay It Forward." One hopes he or his agents exercise a better choice over scripts in the future. The worst performance in the film, not surprisingly, comes from Robin Williams, who became an act rather than an actor in "Good Will Hunting," and has yet to recover. Just like Dustin Hoffman in recent roles, he's here playing yet another caricature of a weirdo to diminishing effect. The one star is for Freddie Highmore.
  
  

• ...a heart-warming film with a rich narrative, visually diverse settings, and a lush original music score.

  
  By A1OVYZPXPB0RKB on 2007-12-02
  11-year-old Evan wants nothing more in life than to find his parents, or for them to find him. Labeled a freak by his fellow boys home residents it isn't long before he finds himself on the streets of New York in search of the mother and father he never knew. Like a fish out of water, the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps are at once overwhelming and intoxicating. In every thumping foot, squealing tire, barking dog and rattling chain he hears a rhythm. Music. Harmonics no one hears but him. He knows if he just follows the music somehow his parents will find him. What he doesn't know is that his parents have no idea he exists.
  
  Ten years ago his mother, Lyla (Keri Russell), a gifted celoist, was a young prodigy herself when she met Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the talented lead singer and guitarist for an Irish rock band. Immediately they share a bond, and their night together changes everything. Can the power of music bring this family of strangers back together again?
  
  Don't let the somewhat un-inspiring title August Rush fool you. This movie is a heart-warming film with a rich narrative, visually diverse settings, and a lush original music score. Freddie Highmore's spot-on performance as Evan, who soon takes up the moniker August Rush, immediately invokes our sympathy. We truly care what happens to this bright-eyed, innocent boy who hasn't let himself become jaded by his harsh environment. (If he looks familiar it's probably because of his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Finding Neverland fame. He played the lead child roles in both.)
  
  But it's not just Highmore who carries this movie. Every actor nails their role beautifully. Keri Russell (perhaps known best for the TV show Felicity) is a natural on the screen, skillfully bringing to life the character of Lyla both as a naive young woman and a passionate mother. Robin Williams' supporting role as a music pimp to a brood of unwanted yet musically gifted children cinches that he can play the deeper roles right alongside his lighter comedy ones. You'll also want to take notice of Terrence Howard's performance as social worker Richard Jeffries, a man in the system who genuinely cares for the kids under his care but often finds his hands frustratingly tied.
  
  A few times suspension of disbelief is called for as August Rush is more about the fantastic than the realistic. It's a little hard to believe Evan is able to play both the guitar and organ like a master (not to mention conduct an orchestra) without ever having seen or touched the instruments before in his life. But you really don't mind. This movie has enough heart to carry it above and beyond those moments. Its portrayal of music's magic, that powerful tug on the human heart and soul, sets it apart from your average film tackling the same subjects.
  
  Parents will appreciate the filmmaker's tact in portraying Lyla and Louis' one-night stand. No more than the beginnings of a passionate kiss are shown. A few swear words (h-- and d--) probably aren't appropriate for youngsters since several are uttered by children, but they really did have their place in showing you the hard existence of some of the street kids.
  
  August Rush reminds us that amidst the hardships there truly is some good left in this world. You'll come away from this movie with a greater appreciation of music's power, not to mention the power of love and family. Definitely worth seeing more than once.
  
  --Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk
  
  
• My out of sync review of the universal sounds of AUGUST RUSH
  By ATXL536YX71TR on 2008-01-11
  There is a certain beat that goes on in the universe;a certain music that if one is atuned to it will bring everything just right.Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) knows this;he feels this with every fiber of his being,and this orphan knows that the voice of his parents,both musicians (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) both call out to him at night.He has never known them,they have never known him (in fact Russell thinks he is dead and Meyers never was informed of a pregnancy as far as I could tell)but he feels them in the talking of the wind,the watching of the moon,the moving of the wheat in the fields...etc.
  
  I couldn't buy this earnest film for one minute.I found the story,itself, to be so full of holes, that swiss cheese had better consistency than this film.I understand the premise of this film,and it is certainly not without merit,but I will only suspend belief only so far.AUGUST RUSH seemed to be a 2007 version of "Oliver Twist" and "Annie" with a neat and sharply edited soundtrack to make up for it's totally implausible premise.As a musician,myself,who went to conservatory,I could
  not buy Keri Russell performing the Elgar Cello Concerto,much less getting an invite to the prestigious Central Park Concert after an eleven year hiatus from her cello.Only the "being in sync with the universal rhythm" could have pulled that one off.Jacqueline DuPre,as talented as she was,could not have done that in her lifetime! Evan,whose name is changed to "August Rush" by a Faginesque Robin Williams,learns instantly to play the guitar like a pro and his genius is discovered and exploited when he brings his tips back to Robin Williams, who houses UNDETECTED street urchin musicians in an abandoned Manhattan Theatre.
  The final and biggest hole occurs at the end when Jonathan Rhys Meyers is musically drawn to the concert in the park where Evan "August" is conducting his inspired rhapsody that just came to him.Meyers serendipitously pushes his way to the front of the enormous crowd there to find Keri Russell after eleven years,he grabs her hand,nods to August....hello? did anyone ever tell him that HE was the father of this child?
  For all of the smart editing and clever ideas that this film had, the story itself is pure ridiculous.The only thing that impressed me was that Jonathan Rhys -Meyers performed his own vocals.Highmore and Russell very obviously are not really performing and the quick edits hope to dazzle the viewer and keep them off balance from that fact.Some of the cuts of Russell playing both the Bach E Major Concerto and The Edward Elgar Concerto are deplorable with incorrect hand positions and simply on the wrong strings.Some people won't notice or even care about such things, but when you study music this film is like a history major seeing Ben-Hur with a wrist watch on! The editors were savvy to cut in and out in the music sequences in order to get that dizzying effect of the swirling of music, but all the guitar and cello coaching did not remotely pay off for me.Meyers was believable because he did his own work.This threw the believability factor of this film off for me.Meyers was spot-on, while Highmore and Russell were not.Why not find three REAL musicians?
  
  Was this film destined to end on the right note? Yeah...there was never a doubt about it.It struck all the wrong chords with me.Cheesy and hokey are words that come to mind,but,hey,it's only a film .You won't get upset with my humble opinion as long as you are flowing with the rhythm of the universe.I am obviously out of sync and freely admit it!Here come the hateful votes...I can feel you wanting to push that button!
  
  
• Aggressively Soulless
  By A2FBS0A33MWO9I on 2008-04-03
  I don't know where you were when you saw this, but I was trapped on a plane and almost hypnotized by how deeply rotten to the core it is. The term "fairy tale" keeps getting applied to this film, but real fairy tales are carefully crafted allegories, not excuses for insipid and unbelievable storytelling. To say that it is just overly sentimental is also far too kind because this kind of "product" is, of course, the result of multiple test-screenings and demographic considerations. In fact, if ever a movie wanted to pander and please every possible viewer / paying unit, it is this one. Stretched beyond thin, it is as if it was robotically assembled; "pull heart-string A, add sweeping music, insert flashback B (in slow motion), etc." And it STILL manages to sink even lower with yet another one-dimensional portrayal of a human, as caricatured by Robin Williams (who is as naturally "street" as Kathy Lee Gifford)!
  
  Most offensive, however, is that "August Rush" ultimately purports to be about the universality and power of art as a mysterious and yet uniquely human language. Yet in it's air-tight bubble of calculated cliches and manipulative schmaltz, it has completely suffocated the very elements that allow for true art to exist. There is no better example of this than in how the film repeatedly illustrates the boy's relationship to music. In the very opening scenes, the director has chosen an internal voice-over to verbally explain how August feels about music in his world, rather than employ the almost limitless language of cinema to creatively show it. Oh, we get lots of sweeping MTV crane and helicopter shots, but this is not what I'm getting at. In this opening voice-over, August explains how music and rhythm is present in almost every facet of nature itself. It's hardly a new idea, but a potentially challenging and beautiful one to consider. Still, the filmmakers won't allow you to actually experience or engage with this philosophy first-hand, which they could have. Instead, for every visual example they provide; the wind, the birds, the urban environment, etc., they have chosen to lay ACTUAL music over, drowning out whatever discoveries you might have shared with August for yourself.
  
  This film has nothing to do with art, or even human beings, really. It's a total betrayal of its subject matter and mistrusts its audience on every level. It offers no challenges or discoveries and, without these, there can be no fairy tales, only mounting successions of highly improbable coincidences, delivered D.O.A., in a pantomime of wonder. Anything by Ed Wood was more heart-felt than this!
  
  
• The Fantasy of a Child Prodigy
  By A1WUPRPQBV4FB8 on 2008-03-19
  And the language is music. Beautiful music. A seamless combination of classical and rock-n-roll music lies behind the tale. It's the love story of two musicians as dreamed by a lost child, who discovers his musical gifts through everything and everyone around him. The lesson is about listening to your heart and staying true to your dream. There's no room for greed and disingenuous intentions. Mistakes can be forgiven and lessons learned.
  
  Every actor in this film is as lovely as the fanciful story, and love oozes from every note. I've watched it twice and both times, my heart was filled with joy. August Rush is one for the ages and excellent viewing for the entire family. My highest recommendation.
  
  Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.
  
  
• August has a Natural Gift
  By AQL13WF76ZQQJ on 2008-03-13
  This movie is about a boy named (Evan) leaving a home for children without parents and turns up searching for his, through music. Born from parents of musical talent, learns music and becomes a composer then his parents end up seeing (August Rush) name given by his friend perform at a concert. Simply breathtaking with laughs, happiness and tears. Dont miss seeing this movie. I rented it and now it will be purchased. I call it a must to own. Stars Robin Williams, Fredie Highmore, Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
  
  
• August Rush
  By AW99SBGWEXP0J on 2007-12-13
  Cellist Lyla Novacek (Russell) and rock singer Louis Connelly (Meyers) share a magical night together after just meeting, but circumstances prevent them from meeting the next day. Their paths diverge, but nine months later, Lyla gives birth to a boy. Lyla's father (Sadler) tells Lyla the child died in childbirth and gives the child up for adoption. Twelve years later, that boy, who will go by the name August Rush (Highmore), is in an orphanage. He runs away to New York, where he discovers he has musical talent. He believes that if he can make his parents hear his music, they will find him.
  
  "August Rush" is hokey, but harmless. It is a nice movie that will be enjoyed by many, but there is not much substance to it. If you can accept that music and fate bind these characters together, your enjoyment level will be higher. In fact, musicians will be more likely to appreciate the film and its love of music. Non-musicians may find it cheesy.
  
  
  
• What was the Academy thinking?
  By A28GEIVP5KQMZU on 2008-03-23
  This year's Oscar nominations were mostly dark, dreary, depressing dramas.
  Why not August Rush?
  Sure, ya, Michael Clayton has Clooney - and some Brit woman we never heard of. But AR has Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell and the fabulous Freddie Highmore - to name a few. Robin Williams is wiley as the Fagin-esque Wizard and the pizza thing reminds me of Oliver Twist "Please Sir, I want more!"
  This movie is more, so much more! For more reasons than I'm going to gush on about right here and now.
  Just Try it, you'll love it.
  /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer
  
  
• Horrible movie...for the entire family!!!!!
  By A2W7WUVO0JA6LL on 2008-05-19
  If you just open yourself to the music, you can pick up a guitar for the first time and within two minutes be an expert. And within a few weeks, you will not only know the definition of the word rhapsody, you will be conducting an orchestra representing Julliard in Central Park to perform a rhapsody YOU wrote for thousands of awed listeners. If you have a gift, it really requires absolutely no work. You will just be good automatically. You writing this down kids? Make sure you tell this to your teachers when you tell them you havent done your homework. You are GIFTED...you dont need to do any work.
  And you know what else? If you are talented, good looking, cool, and perhaps have a little tortured soul thrown in, you can sit on a rooftop, meet a gorgeous female, tell her your name along with some ridiculously cheesy lines, and immediately have "marital relations" with her...and everything will turn out great in the end.
  Great fun for the entire family!!! Hooray!
  
  So many disbelievable occurances happened in this farce of a film, but I think I should name one more. Lyla's father signed away the baby, forging her name, which in itself is nearly impossible. A doctor would have to witness her signing the papers. But beyond that, does anyone realize how long the line is to adopt an infant in this country? It's staggering. So why was Evan still a ward of the state at 11 years of age? Baloney...he would have been in the arms of a caring mother and father from day 1. Asking us to suspend our belief is one thing, but this film asked us to be idiots.
  
  Oh, I must admit one of my shortcomings here. When Arthur yelled to Evan (aka August) "Run August Run", I did not stand and immediately throw rotten food at the screen. I really should have.
  
  And if Freddy Highmore's agent is reading this....you should be fired for letting your client star in this joke of a film. This film has "career killer" written all over it. Kerri Russell is old enough to know better. What was she thinking?
  
  
• Too Sweet For Some...
  By A2ATWKOFJXRRR1 on 2008-03-14
  ***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
  
  Schmaltzy and predictable, AUGUST RUSH will still manage to please most movie-goers. The basic ingredients make this so: a healthy helping of a cute young kid (Freddie Highmore, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), a dose of a busted-up, romantic, musical couple (Keri Russell, Scrubs, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Match Point), and the sprinkling of a slimy vagabond (Robin Williams, Happy Feet).
  
  Highmore has come a long way in his short life. Having immensely enjoyed his portrayal as Peter in Finding Neverland, I have followed the career path of this super-young-star with interest. Most recently he's starred in The Golden Compass and The Spiderwick Chronicles, two blockbuster films. Whoever his agent is, they've done a fantastic job.
  
  But Highmore has never taken on a role quite as focused as August Rush before. He tended to be overshadowed by the larger than life actors that played beside him (Johnny Depp, Anjelica Huston, etc.). But this time, the focus is all on his character, Evan/August Rush. His name change from Evan to August is affected by the wayward homeless musician "The Wizard" played by Robin Williams. The slime-factor is high for Williams here, higher than I've ever seen from him. This also made the story much more interesting and made you dislike Williams' Wizard character in the extreme.
  
  The love story between Lyla (Keri Russell) and Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is executed well if a bit distant and unrealistic. Their one night stand that results in a pregnancy becomes the culminating factor that binds all of the characters together. Well ...that ...and music, of course.
  
  Evan (Highmore) is lost amidst the U.S. orphanage industry until he eventually makes good his escape. He carries with him only his belief that music will somehow connect him with his unknown parents. He's lived music his entire, short life, so whenever he comes into contact with an instrument (be it a guitar or a piano) he quickly grasps its workings and can play it within moments. A prodigy, he's soon called by those that know him. Pulling him away from his dreams, however, is The Wizard, a man who wants to personally capitalize on Evan's astounding abilities by prostituting him to the highest bidder ...the highest bidder willing to pay his manager (i.e., The Wizard).
  
  Juilliard is offered up to Evan, and he quickly surpasses all those before him. But he still hasn't found his parents (who are also musicians), and a concert in New York's Central Park soon beckons them together. It's so sweet it'll make your eye-teeth ache.
  
  Even with its overly-sweet beginning, middle, and end, August Rush is something of a must for those who enjoy unique musical playing and the process of melodious discovery.
  
  Just don't eat any chocolate while watching it.
  
  
• Somebody get me a barf bag, QUICK!
  By AVP86FDB2EYNZ on 2008-03-27
  I've read some of these reviews and they do tend to go on quite a bit. I like to keep it short and sweet.
  
  THIS WAS THE DUMBEST MOVIE I EVER SAT THROUGH.
  
  
• A feel good film for music lovers
  By A25QJBK33C4O0R on 2008-03-21
  August Rush would probably be considered an interesting film for most, but a fascinating film for music lovers. A somewhat whimsical tale of a gifted child that never knew his parents. Gifted in that the child hears music all around him, calling to him, almost begging to be recorded and played for others to enjoy. Never knowing his parents because he was given up for adoption as a baby. Hoping to somehow connect to his parents and feeling that perhaps music can bring everyone together.
  
  Jonathan Rhys Meyers (of The Tudors and other works) is the father he never knew. Working with his more natural accent as an Irish rock and roll band member. Keri Russell (Felicity and others) is the mother who was a featured member of the Philarmonic. The two 'hook up' at a party, but are kept apart by her father. Both are obviously gifted musicians in their own right, so they will of course produce a child prodigy.
  
  Mixed in along the way are roles for Robin Williams, Terrence Howard and others that cross paths with the various characters here. Can fate bring the proper parties together, or can there be no happy ending? I've probably spoiled (unintentionally) that with my review title, but you've also probably already figured that by the time you read this review or any of the others here (or perhaps you saw the trailers for this film when it was in theatrical release).
  
  The film didn't last that long in theatres, apparently not being able to find it's own voice amongst the rush and crush of other choices that potential movie-goers had to spend their entertainment money on. That's a shame as parts of the film would be wonderful to view on a big screen. Not that the high definition transfer for the Blu-ray is bad (nor will the same transfer that will be used for the HD DVD release be), or even the image (by what I've seen) for the DVD version. No, they translate just fine to the smaller screen, but perhaps could be better enjoyed on a larger canvas.
  
  The film is obviously about music and the music dominates throughout. Not overwhelmingly so, but it's obvious that sound is a key element here, and dialogue is used more sparingly in conveying the message and interaction between the characters in the story. The music is well choosen throughout, and helped to earn the film an Academy Award Nomination for one of it's musical selections. Unfortunately for this film, there was strong competition from several films, so the prize went elsewhere and the film continued to be largely ignored without the 'bump' of being an Oscar winner.
  
  I've rated the film at 3 stars. Yet again, I think this is a film that deserves a little better, but not that much better. Some will quite obviously find it quite enjoyable and think that it deserves more. I understand that thinking and wouldn't argue with those that love the film. I think most people would enjoy it once through, but not feel compelled to watch it repeatedly. I could be wrong, but part of what might convince me to purchase a film like this on disc would be having more to explore on the disc. Unfortunately the studio apparently didn't feel compelled to add much to the disc for this particular under-performer. A selection of deleted scenes is all that is there. No making of, no mini-documentary on selecting the music for the film, composing or performing the music, making the actors look believable in being gifted musicians, or anything else.
  
  For most people, I'd recommend renting first. You may throughly enjoy the film and wish to purchase, but you also may feel it was not something you wished to spend too much money on owning. Try before you buy here if you can.
  
  A quick nit to pick here on the film. The use of time within the film, showing events of the past to set up how these characters got to be where they are in modern time is fine, but in showing the characters before the title character is conceived and born the parental characters are later surprisingly unchanged and apparently haven't aged a bit. I realize that depicting a passage of a little more than a decade isn't easy, but at the same time people change. You don't appear the same at 20 as you would at 30, or at 25 versus 35. I wish film makers would put a little more effort into noticing such little things so they don't become distractions to films like this, and so that viewers are given more of a sense of a passage of time.
  
  
• Most unbelievable movie ever?
  By A2YM3KILJ1G0YJ on 2008-03-26
  August Rush is a heart-warming, albeit painfully slow at times, story of an orphan boy - a pseudo-Oliver Twist - named Evan Tayler who is the definition of a socially awkward child. While walking around the streets of New York he meets a wise talking, Boondocks-esque musical prodigy named Arthur who leads him to a group of other musical prodigies. Evan is escaping from the life of social custody, and following the music in his ears has led him to this unlikely family of vagrant musicians, each with their own speciality (I think I saw a didgeradoo at one point).
  
  These kids are living in an abandoned playhouse, and under the tutelage of a ghetto pied piper named Wizard (Robin Williams) who musically pimps all of the gifted youngsters under his watch. And, wouldn't you know it, young Evan is a friggin guitar genius; so, he fits in quite well. In no time at all he usurps Arthur for the Alpha position in the drifter family, and the prefered musical prostitute bringing in cash to Wizard - the musical, philosophical pimp who will do anything to keep his new found meal ticket.
  
  (Yes, you read all of that right, and it's just as ridiculously unbelieveable as I have mentioned. It's "Ben Affleck saving the world in Armaggedon"-ridiculous.)
  
  Meanwhile, we find out that Lila and Louis, both socially awkward musicians in their twenties, meet randomly one night at a lame party. Louis is a guitarist for a somewhat popular band, and he doesn't seem to like crowds. Yeah, a guitarist who doesn't like crowds. Lila plays classical music, and the two have a incredibly pointless, random night together - sort of a poor man's Serendipity - and then they part ways the next morning.
  
  Oops, he knocked her up. Nevermind, it didn't happen. Oh wait, yeah it did, but the father forged her signature up and gave the baby up for adoption. (I only put it this way because this is the manner in which the movie gave these facts to the viewer)
  
  In the end, Lila and Louis discover that Evan is their kid, and he is now a successful composer named August Rush who has attended Juilliard and is about to have his own symphony in Central Park...at eleven years old...where his mother just happens to be playing the cello after an 11-year hiatus...and the father just happens to be driving by after playing a gig during his recent refound love of music. The entire ordeal is done with more foreshadowing and preposterousness than Dolly Parton walking around the corner. Amongst all the barely connected storylines, they are all reunited happily ever after...despite the eleven year separation.
  
  It's a feel-good movie great for the whole family, and by feel-good I mean completely unbelievable. And by completely unbelievable, I mean there's more realism in Starship Troopers.
  
  
• TERRIBLE!!!
  By AYFUMKAJWSGOO on 2008-04-01
  this was the worst movie ever!!!!! its been a week since I watched the movie and I still hate it! there was nothing interesting or believable about that stupid movie! it was slow moving and terrible.
  
  
• Second Worst Movie of All Time
  By A2SEL7YVRW6MYW on 2008-04-12
  What a great idea for a movie and absolutely awful script. Make a list of cliches (make it long!) and see if this movie misses even one of them. It's nothing but cliches with some very good actors that should have protested having this bad a script. Oh, if you are wondering, the worst movie of all time is "You light up my Life." If you saw that, this isn't quite that bad. I found myself sitting there saying "they're not going to..." and they always did. Seriously embarassing with some terrific music and terrific actors. Blame the script and the Director. Oh, and someone explain to me how Loren Mazel taught this kid to direct. The kid did a great job faking the guitar he couldn't play, but the conducting was beyond terrible. Walk outside and stare at a brick wall. It will be more enjoyable than August Rush!
  
  
• Quietly Fabulous
  By A3IXYHI27SEY6E on 2008-02-15
  I didn't know what to expect with this movie. I really believed it to be a "chick-flick". I was wrong. This is an awe-inspiring movie that, I believe, most people just glossed over...a huge mistake. The critics didn't give this much of a chance...too bad for them. I found this movie to be incredible from the story line to the music to the development of the plot line. The climax was a tear jerker even though you knew all along he was going to be reunited with his parents but the process by which this happens just keeps you filled with hope. And that is the message of the movie, hope kept alive by a dream. As the song lyrics say,"Hold on tight to your dreams". Watch the movie and be throughly entertained.
  
  
• Listen to the Music all around...
  By A206S1OY990QYT on 2008-03-21
  If you have any love for music at all, you'll enjoy this movie. There's a language that goes along with music...it makes the sounds that the soul wants to speak but can't find words for. It sings of celebration, joy, hurt, anguish...and other depths of emotion that we can't even begin to explain. This movie does a wonderful job of expressing that.
  
  As a musician, I actually ached inside watching it because I understood what August heard in the world. His musical pureness was exquisite. He didn't understand the capitalist edge he had that Wizard tried to exploit because of his gift. He didn't understand the importance and grandeur of his accomplishment at Juliard. He simply heard the music and knew in his heart that it would serve him good in mending the broken relationships of his life. That is the essence of music...touching the areas of life that otherwise would not be reached.
  
  If you watch this movie with just your eyes, you may not be as delighted with it. But watch it with your heart and you won't be able to help but stand and cheer!
  
  
• Not since Forrest Gump...
  By A2E7E9EWADK4S6 on 2007-12-17
  Not since Forrest Gump Have I cried so much at a movie. Not since Forrest Gump have I left a movie feeling so touched to my very core.
  
  "August Rush" is a sweet, captivating story about an 11-year-old musical prodigy and it showcases the power of his simple but persistent and steadfast faith to make the impossible, POSSIBLE. It's a story that is very well done, very tenderly told and incredibly inspiring and uplifting.
  
  The music is wonderful and the acting is all first-rate. As another reviewer said, I'm not one for movie soundtracks, but this is one I plan to order straight away. The 11-year-old musical prodigy (played by Freddie Highmore) is a delightful actor for the part and while I'm one of those people who doesn't really care for flicks with cutesy kids, this movie melted my heart into a puddle of tears.
  
  It also provides a keyhole peak at how truly gifted musicians "hear" and experience the world. Speaking as someone who has struggled and struggled to write a few simple books, it was a pleasure to have an insight on how a true genius views the typically laborious process of creation.
  
  The prevailing theme that I took from this movie is this: If we could strip away the many layers of fear, doubt, regret, guilt and all those other dark, burdensome emotions then it'd be easier for us all to find our own "Insular tahiti."
  
  I highly recommend "August Rush" for anyone who has a heart and I recommend it even more for people who want to see a movie that leaves them with a reassuring hope that sometimes, things really are "too good NOT to be true."
  
  
• hopelessly drawn in
  By A28IQDBTSUXGO5 on 2008-02-16
  Went in knowing this movie was sentimental, plot-simple and without a close hold on reality. Fair enough. Instead you suspend believe, get caught up in the story's mystical web and are transported to a land where dreams come true and the bonds of love and music draw you in completely.
  
  The eclectic music was brilliant and mezmerizing. The cinematography was thoughtful and well edited. The actors were all well cast, (including minor and supporting) all were compelling and believabvle in their parts, especially the brilliant young actor, Freddie Highmore who plays the boy music prodigy. The story builds at a nice pace, including the dramas of finding and losing throughout. Sure the ending is predictable, but who cares when you have already been drawn in and you are rooting for that predictable end to happen? It is magical and totally engaging, the kind of movie that makes you want to clap at the end (which my daughter and I did as did others in the theater.) The trouble with critics (who see way too many movies) is that they have lost their sense of wonder and delight, having already been there and done that from their perspective.
  
  AUGUST RUSH was never meant to succeed on its plot. It is the execution that makes all the difference. As previously stated, when all the cinematic elements are right on: acting, cinematography, editing, casting, music, direction, set and location, the result is a winner
  The movie is refreshingly rated PG with nothing to offend anyone.
  5 stars! Bravo!
  
  
• Let's not get it twisted, AUGUST RUSH is a fable. And you have to buy into it being a fable if you're gonna enjoy this picture.
  By A2HVL790PBWYTU on 2008-03-16
  Plot SPOILERS now.
  
  Lyla (Keri Russell, of FELICITY), a concert cellist, and Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an Irish musician, meet on a New York City roof one evening. What with the moon being full, the two fall in love. And further shenanigans of the heart go down. But, the next morning, Lyla's controlling father speedily puts the kibosh on the romance before it really has a chance to flourish. When Lyla becomes pregnant with Louis' child and delivers, her father puts the baby up for adoption and tells Lyla that her baby had died. Louis's heartbreak and Lyla's tragedy cause them both to give up playing their music, even though Lyla would become a music teacher. So that was eleven years ago.
  
  Cut now to the present, as a young orphan named Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) flees the Walden County Home for Boys. Evan is a weird kid, able to hear music from the most routine of noises in his environment. But he loves music more than food and believes that his parents aren't dead, that, in fact, if he follows the music, it'll lead him to his parents. He ends up following the music to New York City, and ends up in the clutches of Maxwell Wallace, more flashily known as the Wizard (Robin Williams).
  
  The Wizard is an aging street hustler who takes in street kids with musical talent and makes them busk for a living (the Wizard gets a good cut of their earnings, you dig). Hanging out with the Wizard and his underaged worker bees, August Rush (as the Wizard would rename Evan) learns to play music for the first time, starting with the guitar. Further events unfold, and, soon enough, a pastor in church sees August wailing away on the pipe organ and is so impressed that he gets him into Juilliard. And from there it's a short step to this newly discovered musical prodigy conducting his own symphony to the New York Philharmonics in an outside concert in Central Park.
  
  So many coincidences here that Bollywood is jealous. So, meanwhile, Lyla has discovered that her son is alive and begins a desperate search for him. She ends up in New York. Simultaneously, Louis has regained the itch to play his music and rejoins his old band. He also ends up in New York. And, by the movie's climax, everybody ends up in Central Park.
  
  SPOILERS end.
  
  Here's my two cents: Let's not get it twisted, AUGUST RUSH is meant to be a fable. And you have to buy into the film being a fable if you're gonna enjoy the viewing experience. Otherwise, it may get on your last nerve. Is this movie manipulative? Yes. Is AUGUST RUSH so "sweet" a film that diabetics aren't medically cleared to glimpse even its trailer? Hells, yeah. Do coincidences pile on more ridiculously than L.A. traffic on the 405 Freeway? Fo'shizzle! But I'm still giving it three stars. Mostly, I guess, it's 'cause I'm a sap, a sucker, a target audience. I just dig feel-good films and pictures which cling to the idea (or wish) that there's a higher purpose to things. That love and magic and music can carry the day. That wouldn't exactly suck, would it? Sue me, I got that optimist schtick going on.
  
  But this is the part now where I kind of kick the movie in the groin. Thing is, man, are we ever asked to accept so many inconsistencies and leaps of logic. Yes, clearly AUGUST RUSH is intended to be a fantasy film, but even the most fantastical of fantasies must have some grounding, some rules to follow. AUGUST RUSH, in several scenes, just doesn't play fair. Since this is a fable, I get that Evan is able to suddenly, masterfully play the guitar (after messing about with it some during the night). I can swallow that. And the same with the piano. But I draw the line at Evan all of a sudden capable of composing maniacally after merely glancing at a music sheet (Is there, somewhere, a deleted sequence where he at least first studies notes and stuff for a bit?).
  
  Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell punch in with some very good acting. And I truly wish they could've gotten more scenes together, as their characters are very engaging and rootable. The high points for me are actually the scene with Meyers and Russell having their cute meet and the scene with Meyers and Freddie Highmore dueting on guitars (easily the musical highlight of the film). Come to think of it, the musical sequences happen to provide some of the better parts of this film. And if Meyers is really doing his own singing, then color me truly appreciative. Freddie Highmore was pretty good in Finding Neverland (Widescreen Edition) and in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Widescreen Edition). Here, he's the eponymous lead, but his acting, while sensitive, borders on being too precious. Next time, maybe ease up on the ethereal. The other two actors of note are Terrence Howard and Robin Williams. Howard is woefully underused as a concerned social worker and Williams is irritatingly overused (Seriously, Robin, what the hell happened? You were a decent actor for a while.). But Howard barely makes an impact, while Robin Williams checks in with one big fat hairy false note after another. He really doesn't do a good enough job of sinking into the skin of his role. So, when all's said and done, all I see is Robin Williams playing Robin Williams, and playing him awfully. I pretty much cringed everytime dude was on the screen.
  
  A bit of fine tuning here, a bit of scene cutting there (like, all of the Robin Williams scenes), and, who knows, this could've been a much better film (Another thing that grated on me was the sappy and too abrupt ending). Still, if you can buy the outrageous premise and tolerate the incessant cloyingness and the rampant sentimentality...If you can not be annoyed at the film's blatant and clumsy attempts to orchestrate the audience's emotions (since every film does this)...And if you keep to heart the fact that AUGUST RUSH is a fable and so deserves a break from the Department of Keeping It Real, well, you might end up enjoying this. Me, even though I'm a bit horrified at the sheer over-the-topness of it all, I'm still leaning towards being generous. I see that this film wears its heart on its sleeve, and I salute that. And that it decided to go all balls out for what it wants, and that it fully commits to its music. Respect to that. I give props to the movie's hopeful message, which is that music unites. I'm just glad Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell were there to ground things. AUGUST RUSH, ultimately, ends up being flawed magic. But still magic.
  
  And, by the way, that nine year old girl, Jamia Simone Nash, is a star waiting in the wings. She's got impressive pipes.
  
  
• August Rush is a rush!
  By A2EJCD6CRW8D8O on 2008-03-18
  What a rush - whosh, I loved it. That director Kirsten Sheridan used the chemistry of the actors to draw the viewer into the movie. The music spins around you and you are captivated into the story. The sadness, the flame of hope that boy has that just won't burn out. That's what I call entertainment when for the 113 minutes run time I forget everything else but the movie. Much like settling down with a good book. My thanks to all who made that movie possible.
  
  
• Improbable Prodigy
  By A1JV4QKTEB7QBL on 2008-04-01
  Whether or not the implausible plot of director Kirsten Sheridan's 2007 "August Rush" makes much sense or not, the film moves with its own frenetic momentum; the urgent momentum of the music heard inside the head of its main character Evan Taylor a.k.a. August Rush (played by the serious Freddie Highmore of "Finding Neverland"), musical genius extraordinaire of the caliber of a latter-day Amadeus Mozart.
  
  Ordinary sounds like that of the grass blowing in the breeze and the wind hitting an old brass wind chime filter through this child's brain and transform to melodies of symphonic perfection. From the first few opening frames of the film, there is no doubt in the mind of the viewer that Evan definitely possesses that quirky quality akin to all masterminds, be it the mathematical autistic savant speaking in logarithms or yet another John Nash hearing aliens speak to him through glimpses of magazine and newspaper text. Through almost monotonous repetition, Sheridan insures that the audience immerses itself in sensing yet not fully understanding this wondrous creative treat--how often do we get to explore the mind of someone of higher perceptive powers?
  
  Making use of his unique gift, Evan, living in a home for boys, decides that hearing his personal compositions will provide the means to bring his parents to him in a lyrical happy-ever-after. We hear his music too (thanks to Mark Mancina's soundtrack) and like the fairytale rats of Hamlin follow this Pied Piper to the streets of New York City where Evan becomes synonymous with Dicken's Oliver Twist complete with an acoustic guitar toting Artful Dodger and somewhat manic-prone-to-violence Fagan (a cowboy hat wearing mutton-chopped Robin Williams.)
  
  As Evan wanders through the arch in Washington Square and the abandoned Filmore East Theatre in pursuit of his music, we flash back and forth from the moment of his conception by rock star Louis (the ever intense Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and classical cellist Lyla (America's sweetheart Keri Russell.) Separated by factions that again seem conjured from a world replete with evil stepmothers, the two live their floundering lives in different cities fully conscious of the black hole created by their estranged existences.
  
  As Evan's musical ability purrs into a startling fifth gear, the trio moves steadily towards each other like a convergence of heavenly bodies in the night sky in a somewhat wannabe facsimile of a Christmas miracle exemplified with a hopeful magical star. ZZZZzzzzzzz . . .
  
  Bottom line? Although "August Rush" assembles a fine group of actors to play out one boy's musical rhapsody with all the trimmings, the overall presentation seems overly slick--dusted with a coating of improbable sweetness that may work for family fare if a double dose of sugar is in order but does not contain enough real poignancy to satisfy an adult viewer. Instead, the film mirrors a tale out of Dickens with all the convenient serendipity and none of the genuine menace to elicit human response or concern. Highmore pours on the spacey-ness with an almost beatific grin and glow that the best of the litany of saints cannot duplicate while Russell and Rhys Meyers come together with a too-perfect simplicity that moves like a sticky snowball at the light speed of the music. Williams plays this one too over the top for me--he tries for three dimensional when only one is needed. Recommended for those who like sweet predictable fairytales.
  Diana Faillace Von Behren
  "reneofc"
  
  
  
• Can you hear the music?
  By A3I10W07CPXQER on 2008-05-19
  I didn't really want to watch this movie to begin with, and sure enough, it was horrible. First of all, I believe the child was insane. It's basically a twisted musical version of Oliver Twist. It's one of the strangest musical movies ever! something I care nothing about. It was infuriating how the boy kept missing his parents by just a little. Also, NOT RECCOMENDED FOR SMALLER CHILDREN, his "parents" got him doing something well, um,.........sexual. Half the movie was flash-backs and I do think they did them well, It's sooo easy to make flashbacks confusing. All, in all, strange dumb movie; do not listen to all the other 5 star reviews, I hated it.
  
  
• Better Than the Previews Imply...
  By A1EHTFVSD0H7I6 on 2008-02-02
  
  This is a powerful film. When I saw the previews I didn't feel the need to rush to opening night, obviously, but I knew I'd see it eventually and that I'd probably like it. I expected a somewhat emotional string playing feel-good movie along the lines of a long line of those that have gone before it. The previews didn't do it justice.
  
  If you love music, if you love creativity, if you love against-all-odds feel good stories, you are going to want to see this film.
  
  The impossibility of the yeah-right plot actually works if you get pulled into the story. Imagine a scene from Hook with the Lost Boys, imagine Fievel gazing at the moon singing "Somewhere Out There" and Pinocchio's longing to be real, and his imprisonment, and you get a sense of Evan aka August Rush's journey to becoming found. Add Mr. Holland's Opus and you have an idea of the pulling together of events into a symphonic "no way, but if it could happen that would be so cool" finale. There is a some cheese and some serious emotional strumming going on, but because the film is full of longing, searching, and seeking, which is pretty much the human condition, I found August Rush to be soul-marking like all things beautiful and poignant. If you are moved by music and art, if stories of lost being found, and wrongs being righted, and the good guys getting a break, then August Rush is for you.
  
  Very little bleeping language, and sex is completely behind the scenes. Who says a film has to have sex and f-bombs to work? There is a bit of violence, a fight between brothers with thrown fists and some blood. A few scenes are scary because one particular character is emotionally unstable and throws a mean temper tantrum, so really sensitive kids may have an issue or two.
  
  The entire film is love honoring and respectful of humanity, beauty and the audience. God is treated with respect as is the church. I saw so many spiritual allegories that I quit counting so I could absorb the film. The only things that bugged my cynical self were too many blank faced closeups. And when the laws of reality make something not even close to possible, i.e. during a packed-out, standing-room-only concert, two characters walk parallel through a mass of people toward the front of a stage and can actually get through and unmolested at that.
  
  Otherwise, it's a keeper.
  
  
  
  
  
• "August Rush" Movie review by Michael Elliano
  By A1FGOU69XQIU9V on 2008-03-17
  Master TearJerker. Ok, the story is more of a fairytale than real life, but this is the best of moviemaking. Do you believe? There is nothing in this film that I would call bad. This is the power of believing and following your dreams. The cost of giving up, and the power of family and love. You should like this movie but I warn that even the toughest of hearts may melt a little. Enjoy.
  
  
• Oh so much more than the sum of its parts -- please see this film!
  By A3PNDMRLN6R9QS on 2008-03-22
  So, why another glowing review. Everything has been said in the 60+ reviews already on this page and mine will likely never even be read!
  
  Why? Because this movie engages the senses (an amazing score, lush cinematography) and touches the heart from start to finish in ways quite unexpected and rare for films these days. It's a stunner and it makes you want to stand up and clap with joy, (or go on record on Amazon with an enthusiastic review!!)
  
  It is a beautiful fable, a metaphor for a deep and abiding truth that we are all interconnected and can 'listen' and 'hear' the harmonic of love that connects us. The talented young actor who carries this film (Freddie Highmore) expresses the purity, innocence, and sense of wonder that lies within each of us -- evoked so beautifully in this timeless fable of 'yearning for Home' and 'dreams come true.' And any viewer (of any age - even the most jaded and cynical, I promise you) can relate to this universal theme and (perhaps in spite of oneself) feel uplifted.
  
  This simple little film is a beauty. It is more than the sum of its parts. See this film, please! You'll skip with a lighter step if you do.
  
  
• See this movie - have your soul lifted - hear the music that's all around us
  By A2ZHPWTYVIJ12I on 2007-11-23
  The other two reviews tell the story. I saw it with my wife and son and his wife - we all loved it. Treat your self to hearing the music that really is all around us. See this movie. Tell your friends to see this movie. Help make the world a better place
  
  

• P.S. I Love You
• August Rush: Music From The Motion Picture
• No Reservations
• 27 Dresses (Full Screen Edition)
• Martian Child