User reviews

"August Rush" is the most magical story I've seen in years. It also has some of the biggest plot holes I've seen in years. But in the end I have to say the magic triumphs, and if you watch this movie you'll probably enjoy it IF you are aware of a few things up front.

First, this must be treated as a fairytale. That is, just as we accept that a big bad wolf can talk and a family of bears can cook porridge, we must make some large allowances for this film if we are to accept it.

I won't go into too much detail what these errors/allowances are (other IMDb members have already compiled quite a list in the goofs section), but if you are a musician, particularly a classically trained one, you'll need some serious suspension of disbelief. The story is predicated on the idea that a young boy is a musical prodigy. That's fine, but this kid is downright supernatural. If you can accept that he can see a guitar for the first time and immediately rock out like Stanley Jordan, then you're OK. If you can accept the notion that he leafs through a 1st grade music book for 10 seconds and immediately knows advanced musical theory (the equivalent of leafing through a basic arithmetic book and suddenly knowing calculus), then you're halfway there. And if you can accept that he has the power to change into a tuxedo faster than Clark Kent can put on his blue tights, then you're gold.

OK, enough cynicism. If you can get past all of that, then "August Rush" is really a wonderful and original story that will charm your pants off. Very loosely based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist", it's the story of an orphan in search of his parents. But this story revolves around the intangible power of music to draw people together. I've never heard of any story that makes such a powerful & moving metaphor for the power of music, and like I said up front, this powerful metaphor was enough for me to lose myself in the fantasy of it all. I probably would've fallen into it more readily if someone had told me to expect a fantasy. But instead I was halfway expecting realism, making much of the movie hard to swallow. Well now you've been warned, so go into it expecting a dreamlike fairytale and just let yourself be swept away by the magic.

A word of admiration for the late, great Robin Williams who plays a very complicated role here: a man who is basically a good guy but prone to inexcusable bouts of selfishness and violence. Not a particularly charming character but a memorable one, played with great skill.

(My Synopsis) Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) is a brilliant cellist who has just finish performing a concert in New York City. Lyla goes out on the town with her girlfriend and end up at a party near New York's Washington Square. She meets Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) an Irish guitar player. They share the love of music and end up falling in love and bonding together that night. It was the most wonderful night in Lyla's life. Lyla must rush back to the hotel where her father Thomas (William Sadler) is waiting for her. Lyla promised to meet Louis in Washington Square, but her father forces her to go to her next concert. They are like two ships that pass in the night, never to see each other again, except for the fact that Lyla is now with child. Sadly, Lyla is in a car accident and the unborn child is lost. Eleven years pass and Lyla's father is on his death bed, and he must tell her the truth that he secretly gave Lyla's baby boy up for adoption. August Rush (Freddie Highmore) is her child, who was born with the gift to hear music all around him. He believes that he will find his parents if they only hear his music, because they are truly bonded by their music.

(My Comment) The movie is a human interest story about a young boy's unyielding faith and will power to never give up on his dream. However, the probability of all the events that happen in this movie to make all the connections is a little unrealistic. The scenes have a fantasy element, while at the same time, manages to integrate real life events. There are some exceptional musical performances, especially from a young girl gospel singer named Hope (Jamia Simone Nash). The majority of the story is told through the emotions of the actors by means of their music. The acting was excellent and so was the classical, rock, and gospel music. I enjoyed the movie, but the story has a problem of the lack of believability. So if you go, just remember, it's only a movie. You will like the music and you may even shed a tear. (Warner Bros. Pictures, Run time 1:53, Rated PG) (6/10)

'August Rush' is the name given to young Evan Taylor by Maxwell Wallace (Robin Williams), who teaches homeless musicians to become street performers.

But I'm jumping the gun here; let's start at the beginning. Freddie Highmore stars as Evan Taylor, who becomes the titular character. He lives in an orphanage, but he firmly believes his parents are still out there looking for him. His back story is told through back flashes and memories. His mother, the violinist Lyla Novacek, had a one-night stand with the lead singer of a rock band, Louis. I won't spoil why he ended up in the orphanage, but let's just say it was a series of events.

While it might not be the most believable story, I did find it rather captivating. Freddie Highmore is always a pleasure to watch, and I thought he did brilliantly in 'August Rush'. Being a musical prodigy, Evan (August) is able to hear music in everyday sounds. The film teaches us about the beautiful sounds all around us...if only we care to listen. Off course, the new generation only listen to the sounds coming from their mobile phones...(!)

The film has a very good score, and I loved the musical segments. I also enjoyed the (sort of) cliffhanger ending, instead of the film spoon feeding the audience as to 'what happens next'. Yes, it is might be a bit cheesy, but this is a feel-good movie after all and I liked it.

It's interesting to see the big divide between critic and audience ratings of 'August Rush'. According to the review site RottenTomatoes, 'August Rush' has an 82% rating from audiences, while critics only gave it 37%. Judging by the box office takings, I fully agree with the audience ratings. 'August Rush' earned $65.3 million on a $25 million budget. What's up with critics anyway...?

Would I watch it again? Yes.

This movie "August Rush" really touched my soul. I was an orphan and identified with this child's yearning and searching for his parents. Near the end of the movie, I started to cry like a baby. "August Rush" touched something tender buried deep inside my soul seventy-six years ago.

My father was killed in a car accident three days before I would have celebrated my third birthday. My father was also Irish and looked a lot like August Rush's father. It was during the Great Depression and my mother gave me up to the county's foster care agency.

I am now seventy-nine years of age. How I yearned down through the years for my parents, especially my Irish father. My mother was French. I met her many years later in New York City when I was in my early twenties. She was cold and rejecting towards me. I could not understand why. I was abandoned a second time by one of my parents.

The movie "August Rush" was healing to my soul wounded since early childhood;and again, in my early twenties. I knew where he was coming from as he longed for his parents. Instead of music, I used my talent of writing to deal with the lost of my parents.

"August Rush" made me fantasize during the movie that my yearning and searching for my parents were like this remarkable child.

I totally enjoyed this movie. The scenes have an appealing fantasy element, while at the same time, the plot manages to explore true-to-life human situations such as bullying of those who are different.

The music is incredible, and mostly consists of original scores. It includes gospel, rock and classical, seamlessly integrated in a new way that works extremely well.

The plot is somewhat predictable and possibly a little "sappy", but those elements are easily overcome by the moment-to-moment execution of the story. Think of a modernized "Oliver" with Robin Williams as Fagin to a group of homeless, musically talented kids...plus extra elements of romance and intrigue, and you will have a bit of an idea about this movie.

The three main characters are all physically "beautiful" people who manage to convey the story with a minimum of dialog. Additional characters, including Terrence Howard as the social worker, Jamia Simone Nash as the young girl in the church choir, and Leon G. Thomas as the young boy who befriends the musical prodigy, contribute strong performances and pizazz.

Someone sitting near me stated it is impossible for even a prodigy to learn music so quickly and at such a young age... However, this is not true. Check out Jay Greenberg, a young music student currently studying at Julliard. In the end, this movie is at least an endorsement and celebration of the significance of music in our lives and at most a transcendent, fun experience to watch.

I rarely like to see any movie more than once, but definitely want to see this again. Take the family…this is for children, teens and adults. Don't miss it is my recommendation!

Amazing movie with an incredible story about a little boy who never gave up and kept faith.

I watched this several times with my mom, she loves it, and it is an excellent family movie. I recommend watch this with someone from your family because it is all about love between father/mother and son.

The main theme is family but it also provides music content, it is really interesting how someone can be so talented even with 7 years old. A child with a gift for music is something that can touch every heart and surprise the world

This movie taught me not to give up the people we love because if there is something to fight for.. is for them.

This is an urban fairy tale. If you go to AUGUST RUSH with the intention of poking holes in it, you can find little glitches and logic flaws. On the other hand, if you are looking for a movie that will sing to your soul (and show you some beautiful eye candy as a bonus), look no farther. The casting director and cinematographer should each get an award. This gem of a movie takes us on a journey, and the people we meet along the way are well worth the ticket price.

A trio of beautiful performances form the heart of this film, although the secondary characters are also crisply compelling. A day after seeing it, I find that specific shots of their faces still glow in mind like pieces of a mosaic. And the music is a genuine addition, as it should be in a film of this kind. I was genuinely moved.

There have been strong reactions to this movie, both positive and negative. A lot of criticisms stem from the unbelievable nature of several plot points, which I find strange seeing as this movie has very little to do with reality. To cut to the chase, opinions that this movie is "worthless" or "crap" should be safely discarded as rubbish immediately. This is actually a solid film, even if it has flaws. There is, however, a certain public that will be turned off by the fantasy aspects and Disney-like elements found here.

The story follows a young boy raised in institutions and desperately wanting to meet his parents, which he knows nothing about. He is driven by his gift and passion for sounds and music. Parallel stories featuring his parents are also told and intersected in this movie. The direction here by Kirsten Sheridan is solid if we except the beginning of the movie, where the quick exposition to the characters and situation is absolutely awful and 80-ish in its rendition. In fact, Sheridan's main weakness seems to be in how to intersect the various bits and characters of the plot. But everything else is appropriate and on target.

The cast is solid, starting with teenager Freddie Highmore. While Highmore doesn't turn a Dakota Fanning or Haley Joel Osment performance, he is endearing and most of the time, totally believable as our main character. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell are great and their scenes together showcase very effective chemistry, which was definitely required. Terrence Howard continues to slowly rise in Hollywood as an actor who should be taken seriously. Finally, Robin Williams has a turn as a stereotypical "fairy tale baddie" that may seem over the top but is right on target for this genre.

But the biggest star of this film is probably music. To make this movie work and rise above countless feel-good movies, great, inspired music was required and fortunately, we get it in spades here. From rock to classical to soundtrack ambiances, everything here is well-meshed together, if a little artificial. Lovers of music will be more than satisfied, while actual musicians may be a wee bit disappointed by the treatment. It's still way, way above average. It's very, very good as a matter of fact.

I tremendously enjoyed August Rush, even with its small flaws. And I do believe those who couldn't get past those flaws are either missing the point, or simply do not enjoy this genre to begin with. Family-friendly entertainment has been a neglected genre, plagued with very poor entries that are totally uninspiring if we except a few movies. Lately, it seems we're seeing improvement and some thoughts put into the art of crafting good movies of this type. August Rush certainly exemplifies this and I recommend it strongly.

If you love it, you'll LOVE it. If not, then the most you'll probably give it is an 'ok'. The movie requires the audience to have a somewhat willful suspension of reality as there are some slightly mystic themes interwoven in the storyline. But as the movie is basically centered on the power of music, the mystic elements make sense. It's completely about belief and faith in the intangible.

Personally, I loved the story. And the music was amazing. I had goosebumps throughout the entire movie. In fact, there was probably so much emphasis on the music that there was less character development than a lot of people would like. I liked this element of the movie, though, as it requires you to read between the lines. Not even the ending is handed to you nicely wrapped and on a platter. There's no wrap-up dialogue or epilogue sequence, just the audience's own inferences. Hence, if you don't have an imagination, you should stay home.

What I liked about this movie was the performances of Freddie Highmore and Keri Russell. What I did not like was the performances of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Robin Williams. Having said that there are no bad performances just some better than others in my opinion. This film delivers in most aspects but there is something I could not put my finger on that stopped me from saying it was great. Normally I blame the director? The story is far fetched but it is told quite well without turning it into a chic flick, soap opera based on the subject and story content. It is a good movie and you will be glad you watched it over some of the trash released in 2007.

I saw this last night with my wife, we had free passes to a preview screening. I had no idea what this movie was about prior to seeing the movie so I had no preconceived ideas about the film. I thought the premise of the story was a good one; A boy given up for adoption attempts to find his birth parents, because his love for music gives him the sense that his parents are still alive.

The problem is the execution lacked believability, his miraculous ability to write sheet music despite having never seen it before for example. On the other hand his unusual method of playing guitar was more believable of someone who had natural musical talent but did not understand fully how the instrument was played. The whole movie was like this, it did manage to make me shed a tear or 2 at the end however.

This is the worst movie I've seen since "The Love Guru"! Ridiculously laughable story, hammy, bad acting, sub par music, zero chemistry between the two romantic leads, sticky sweet, implausible plot are only a few of the ways I can describe this incredibly bad movie. Robin Williams certainly did nothing for his career with this flop, and he really needs a hit movie badly. This movie is terrible on every conceivable level and it makes me wonder how thinking people could come up with a dud like this one. The fact that some people liked this movie only confirms how stupid the average American is becoming! It's no wonder it went to video so quickly!

This is a fantastic movie. Well done. During our screening at a particularly tough part for the title character, I heard people in the theater say "No, no..." The level of "buy in" and suspension of disbelief is high.

Even the dissonance of Wizard and Lila's father was handled superbly. Robin Williams hit just the right note in his portrayal of Wizard. The actors playing Agust Rush/Evan Taylor and his mother and father were amazingly well cast.

This is truly a symphony of a film. You'll enjoy it, your children will enjoy it, and you will walk out of the theater knowing that, for once, your ticket money was well spent.

I never comment on movies here, usually I just use this website to get an idea of what I am about to watch but I saw this movie last night and loved it.

This movie is a fairytale set in real life circumstances. I really like that the film was never advertised as an Oliver Twist take, but I loved all of the allusions to it. It was a very creative take on the classic story. The poor orphan boy who wants nothing more than to be loved.

My favorite aspect of the movie was how infused music actually was in the movie. I am a musician and I liked the touches that the filmmakers went into to make the film seem as credible as a fairytale can be. I also like how it brought together modern rock, classic symphonic music, and modern symphonic music. It didn't really glamorize the life's of everyday musicians. I like all of the extra little things that were thrown into the movie that only a musician would get. There were some errors but for the most part I applaud the film makers for the attention to the musical details.

Yes the movie was a bit bit corny, and a little over the top, but for the most part I loved it and suggested it to every one.

I saw a sneak preview tonight, not knowing anything about this film. If you still have an inner child, and an imagination that has not been beaten out of you by the "practical and mature" world, then you will love this movie. I wish I had taken my daughter. The only people that I have seen complain about this movie are people that probably consider playing music "hard work and self-sacrifice". If you don't play the cello, you are not going to notice how bad she fakes it. During certain scenes, I found myself sitting way back in my recliner, with my eyes closed, soaking up the sounds that inspired this young man. Not since "Strictly Ballroom" have I been so moved by a film.

Firstly, being a fan of Jonathan Rhys Meyers I had been hearing about this project for a while and I couldn't figure out how they'd make sense out of it. It does end up making sense even if it's a little far-fetched. It's about a son and his parents who all have to find each other, but my problem was that I couldn't figure out a way they could have gotten so separated in the first place. But luckily the writers did. It's pretty sappy and sentimental but if you're not that kind of person, I can't imagine you'd be interested in something like this anyway. It's the type of story that always comes out around this time of year, which is also the most sentimental time of the year. It gives you warm fuzzies so if you like something like 'Mr. Holland's Opus' or 'About a Boy' or 'Love Actually' you'd more than likely enjoy it.

I don't know if this qualifies as a musical but it should. It had lots of music in it although people didn't burst into fits of singing dialogue. The songs were normal songs, mostly original, and they were great. The young people involved were very talented, especially Jamia Simone Nash and Leon G. Thomas. Robin Willams and Terrence Howard had smaller supporting roles. (I've been saying that Williams and Bono resemble each other for 20 years so I'm glad he put the hat on and finally proved me right.) JRM and Keri Russell are co-stars who do their jobs well. But the star of the movie is Freddie Highmore. He's a good actor and I believe this was the first thing I've seen him in. I wouldn't be surprised to see him nominated for this.

I actually think this movie would be good for kids. I think there is maybe one bad word in it and maybe the way he came into the world might bother the extreme conservatives. But it's uplifting and a story about belief, especially belief in yourself. And I expect that'd be good for anyone to see, except maybe those who really hate too much sentimentality.

August Rush is definitely better the second time around. This is a sad, exciting and inspiring movie, for music lovers and for anyone out there who loves a very heart full movie. Kirsten Sheridan did a wonderful job in directing this movie, the music and the way the story line was put together was very intense and always had you wondering what was going to happen next. August Rush has a great storyline, a young orphaned boy named Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) has been in foster care for 11 years and counting. He feels the need to search for his parents Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who are both musicians, who met at by "following the music". In events, Lyla becomes pregnant, but tragically gets into an accident where she then finds herself in the hospital with no baby, and she is devastated. Their baby, Evan Taylor is just a boy in an orphanage who won't be anything in life. Wrong. He finds his way to New York City, where dreams are made of in this exciting search for his parents he learns many things and meets lots of people, such as Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace (Robin Williams) who is a "Father" to many homeless kids, Wizard takes Evan in and tries to make him a star! This is where Evan gets the nickname "August Rush" because Evan Taylor is not a "Stars name", this definitely makes it harder for Lyla, who has been searching for him. But when Wizard tries to take advantage of Evan, just for his prodigy like musical skills, Evan has to break free and go find his real family. I love music, and this movie made me accept and love music with even more of a passion than I already do. This movie is definitely one of the best I have ever seen. If only real life was like the movies! Evan Taylor is a music prodigy, from his mother, Lyla, being a Cellist from Julliard and his father, Louis, being an aspiring singer and guitar player; he has a great musical background. Evan learns to play the guitar, but not in a way that you would expect, he beats the strings like a drum, and a beautiful sound comes out. Evan keeps saying that he wants to find his parents and the only way to do this is to play the music, so they will come and find him. I suggest this movie to anyone who adores music like I do, or to anyone who loves an exciting and heart filled movie. This will leave you with a warm feeling inside, and leave you to adore music even more than you already do, and Kirsten Sheridan did this very well.

A lot of people have already pointed out that you shouldn't watch this movie if you don't like fairy tales. However, if you leave logic and other boring things from real life at the door, you may have a nice time.

I admit there're a few moments when things went a little overboard, but all in all the movie gave me a good feeling and that's all that matters to me. If the story intrigues you, see it, I'm pretty sure you'll feel good too:-).

August Rush is worth watching for us who still have some dreams inside of us and don't need to be reminded of the world we live in all the time!

OK, so I was ready for this movie to be schmaltzy. I wanted it to be schmaltzy. And schmaltzy it was... but it lacked any of the character development or dramatic arc to make an audience care enough to embrace the schmaltz and let it move them. I was actually angered by the quality of this film.

The basic premise, as some have commented, has potential. I'm an actor and the friend I saw it with is a musician. We both love music and I'll be right there cheering anything that heralds the transformative power of art. Unless said piece of art was itself crap. This was.

I don't think the director, writers, or editor knew what exactly they wanted this film to be. Is it three stories (of prodigy, mother, and father) which we watch simultaneously and see them drawn together? Is it the story of this child's genius? Is it a story of the power of music? It is attempting to be all of these, without ever succeeding. The primary problem is the script, which perhaps (to give screenwriters credit) was edited severely. Nothing is ever shown, it's told to you. We don't see the magical night Lila and Louis spend together, we merely here her say "It was the best night of my life." We see no backstory on Evan/August's life at this orphanage--we're just made to believe that his educational and social development was put on hold for 11 years. Really, he's NEVER seen a music staff before? Strange that an orphanage that lacking could afford to dress him so well. What finally made him decide to run away? Nothing had changed for him, nothing had changed with his parents to "draw" him to them. He did it, you know, just cause. I don't want to give anything away, in case for some insane reason you want to see it, so I'll only go into the story problems in the first 15 minutes.

The actors were trying their hearts out--except Robin Williams, whom I normally love but found false and unsatisfying--and in some cases were able to overcome the material and give fairly good performances(Terence Howard, Kerri Russell). Freddie Highmore is cute, but is really called upon to do little more than look glowingly happy while playing music and sad while thinking about his parents. The kid's pretty talented, how about we give him a freaking CHARACTER to play rather than an amalgam of heart-warming looks.

The attempt is noble, I suppose, but unfortunately my recommendation is to stay far, far away.

This was an absolutely brilliant movie. I saw it at the special premiere to the Grammy Recording Academy members a the WB studios in Burbank. It's an absolutely amazing story with a brilliant cast and a soundtrack that will blow you away. Apparently, both Freddie Highmore, keri russell,Jonathan Rhys Meyers learned most of the songs and played/sang them themselves, which is very impressive once you see the movie. John from five for fighting wrote a few songs on the soundtrack as well. Music is the common thread that keeps the entire movie together and completes it into the masterpiece of a movie that it is. Although at times, there may seem like there are gaps in the story line/character development, the point of this is that the music is what communicates those hidden details of the movie.Overall, this film is a masterpiece that should be cherished by music-lovers everywhere.