August Rush

Title: August Rush
Country: USA
Director: Kirsten Sheridan
Release: November 21, 2007



Main Cast:
Freddie Highmore ... Evan Taylor ("August Rush")
Keri Russell ... Lyla Novacek
Jonathan Rhys Meyers ... Louis Connelly
Terrence Howard ... Richard Jeffries
Robin Williams ... Maxwell Wallace ("Wizard")
William Sadler ... Thomas Novacek


Quick Synopsis:
Evan Taylor has been placed into the system but he knows that his parents would come looking for him one day. He is constantly told that his parents would never come however he believes that they do not know where he is. So, he is going to go search for them by "following the music." He believes music is the link between him and his parents. All he has to do is learn to play so that his parents can find him.


My Thoughts:
I was watching Lifetime today and this movie came on and noticed that it was associated with CJ Entertainment, a South Korean company. Tablo and Goo Hye Sun actually have a small cameo in this movie as some of the kids under Wizards care. So for that reason, I get to add it to my Asian Obsession.

Story Line:
It is an interesting story but way too unrealistic in my opinion. It was a great idea though and the story did develop well. The only downside for me was the ending. I found it to be abrupt. I like endings that wrap everything up nicely. For example, Sweet Home Alabama had that sort of abrupt ending to me but made up for it by showing pictures of their future together. I would have liked to have seen that here. For example, I would have found it more fitting to see the family performing together on stage. That would have given me the fairy tale ending of happily ever after.

Cast:
Freddie seems to be a great kid and I am sure will make a wonderful actor. For this role, however, I think they could have chosen someone better. He can pull of the socially awkward orphaned very well by not having much of a facial expression. As a musical prodigy, he was not convincing enough to me. However, based on his looks, I think he was a good enough fit to be the son of Keri and Jonathan. I was once a fan of Keri from her work on Felicity and since then have not seen much of her work. She played the role of a young mother desperately trying to find her son, which she thought was dead, very well. You can just see the desperation in her eyes every time she thinks that she has gotten closer to her son's whereabouts. Now Jonathan. I have only seen him before on Bend It Like Beckham and was happy to see him in something new. I like him very much and think he is a fine actor. I especially loved seeing how well he expressed his characters cry for help. You can just see how much he is suffering and wanting to go back to his old life.

Music:
Every time I watch this movie I get hooked to the music. Something about it just makes me want to listen to it for hours. I love how they fuse Lyla's classical performance with Louis' band's performance. My favorite thing about it though is that it shows that anything that makes a sound is capable of creating beautiful music. It was nice to not just hear the music in the background as is customary in movies and shows. The scores were all placed magnificently given that the movie is all about music being the key to Evan finding his parents. So, in a way the music was another character that guides Evan to where he needs to be.

Overall I would rate this drama with a 3.5/5.


Available Online:
-YouTube (Rent for a small price)


Related Titles:
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