Review: ‘August Rush’

Zac:

Unfortunately for this film, I wish I had the two hours of my life back. This movie is just flat out terrible. **SPOILERS THROUGH OUT** Now, before anyone writes me off as someone who can’t enjoy a sappy family film, that is wrong, I can usually find enjoyment out of anything on watch, but I only enjoyed about 5min of this movie.
First off the movie just beats things into are head. From the get go we are shown that everyone thinks that August Rush(Freddie Highmore) is a “freak” and we have to listen to everyone call him one for 5 min, enough we get it. We don’t need to feel more sympathetic for a kid who was orphaned but actually has parents somewhere, we are already sold. A second and major issue is believability. Ok, Highmore’s character would not be allowed to be walking around doing anything, they seriously would lock a kid up for talking like he does, he is certifiable. Next, Robin Williams holds all of these homeless musical prodigies that he finds on the street hostage and forces them to work for him and none of these kids runs away, or gets picked up by the authorities, yeah right. Next, Highmore can feel the music, and I am supposed to be inspired by a random gibberish sounding smattering of NY noises when he enters the city on a bus that he some how was able to afford a ticket on while also sneaking out of the Boy’s Town he lives in, I don’t think so. And then I am supposed to believe he is a musical prodigy just because he can wave his hand like a conductor while the camera sweeps around him trying to make it look whimsical and magical, come on.
The next major issue is consistency. Every character makes decisions they would never make, simply because they have to create this ridiculous story and move it along. The parents both drop both of their successful lives and just move to NY on a whim, because they feel inspired by the music in the air. Robin Williams is holding kids hostage, then acting as a mentor father figure, then throwing kids into chain link barriers, then kidnapping children, he is all over the place. Or Highmore’s character who gets the dream opportunity he has waited for to spread his music, and he just follows Robin Williams away back to the streets like a lost puppy, what!?!?! The movie just doesn’t work on just about every level, with only one redeeming seen, towards the end between father and son in the park.
Acting wise, everyone but Highmore does an alright job, it’s the material that is weak, Russell, Howard, and Rhys Meyers have a terrible script to work with. Highmore is just bad. He is all wide eyed and babbles about his dreams like an idiot, remaining incredibly positive for being in such a shitty situation and then he shows that he can cry occasionally; which the director must think will make us emotional because he is crying for no reason. Oh yeah, and it all works out perfectly in the end.
Anyways, I would never ever recommend this movie to anyone, but then again, everyone else I saw it with that it was “good” “cute” and thought I was crazy. So what do I know?

[rating: 1.5/5]