August Rush

Genre: Drama
By Warner Brothers
Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan
Runtime: 112 minutes
Starring Freddie Highmore (Evan / August Rush), Keri Russell (Lyla Novacek), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Louis Connelly), Robin Williams (Wizard), Terrence Howard (Richard Jeffries), William Sadler (Thomas Novacek), Leon G. Thomas III (Arthur), Jamia Simone Nash (Hope)


Listen To The Music In Your Heart

One night can certainly change someone’s life as in the case involving one night stands. However, referring to the two leads’ romantic encounter as ‘one-night stand’ seems to veer away from the romantic premise of this film. This film does not apologize for being so very saccharine and earnest, especially in August’s desire and belief that he will eventually find his parents through the universal language of music.

Something about the premise of the film bugs me. If you feel that your one night stand is actually THE ONE, would you go all out to find him or her, despite your father forbidding you? And even if one party is forced to leave the other, would not there be opportunities to find he or she over the course of a decade and especially in this time and age? Don’t forget the lady involve here comes from a prestigious musician family and is a well-known performer. And isn’t it amazing the pregnant girl does not make an attempt to find the father of the child during her pregnancy? WHY, WHY, WHY, I found myself asking.

It seemed rather ludicrous when the boy and girl, now disillusioned and broken, because they could not be together, seemed to think about each other just when their son begins to seek them out. So why decide to go after the love of your life after so many years when all it took was a google search on the net? And three of them, father, mother and son, ends up at the same location. Hollywood being Hollywood, the three eventually meet and they lived happily ever after.

For a movie like this, we as the audience are in no capacity to question the premise of the plot. We are supposed to indulge and immerse ourselves in the make-believe of THE ONE and enjoy the melding of the music from our everyday existence. Did you know that there is music out there, in the drains, on the tracks, with garbage as long as you hear for them, as August Rush did.

Freddie Highmore as Evan, alias August Rush, proves himself once again in this film. He has this maturity in terms of acting that belies his age and that may not be found in other actors much older than him. Keri Russell remains as likable as she was in Felicity while Johnathon Rhys Meyers, though not my cup of tea, actually can sing as well since he belted out 4 out of the 15 soundtracks for the movie!

The ending was too bland for me. Instead of complaining about the lack of logic in this movie about finding your loved ones, look at its good points in the form of the rising star Freddie Highmore and the magic in music as shown in this film.