August Rush – Movie Critique

The movie, August Rush, is about a boy named Evan Taylor (played by Freddy Highmore) who was evidently born to become a musical prodigy when he is quickly introduced to the world of music and the arts. The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York’s Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I liked how 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. I also liked how 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, whereas I liked the variety of music included in the movie. There exists such a thing as good sentimentality and bad sentimentality and if it is said that good sentimentality depends on having its heart in the right place, the movie boldly takes that idea literally and sets itself to the very thing our heartbeat constantly, naturally dictates: music. “I believe in, music the way some people believes in fairy tales,” the hero says in the opening and this story is a real fairy tale for music lovers.

There are few to no things I disliked about the movie, aside from the fact it may be considered to not be very realistic, but that depends on how you look at it. 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.

I believe this is a movie that will genuinely move people of all ages in a way that it is so honest and sentimental. 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. Out of a five star rating, I rate this movie about four stars.