August Rush

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.