August Rush (2007)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Kirsten Sheridan

Writers (WGA):

Nick Castle (screenplay) and
James V. Hart (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

An incredible journey moving at the speed of sound

Plot:

A drama with fairy tale elements, where an orphaned musical prodigy uses his gift as a clue to finding his birth parents.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Prodigy | School | Juilliard | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	6:30 AM	HBO
Sat. Nov. 14	11:30 AM	HBO
Tue. Nov. 17	6:00 PM	HBO

Cast

Freddie Highmore	...	Evan Taylor - 'August Rush'
Keri Russell	...	Lyla Novacek
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Louis Connelly
Terrence Howard	...	Richard Jeffries
Robin Williams	...	Maxwell 'Wizard' Wallace
William Sadler	...	Thomas Novacek
Marian Seldes	...	The Dean
Mykelti Williamson	...	Reverend James
Leon Thomas III	...	Arthur
Aaron Staton	...	Nick
Alex O'Loughlin	...	Marshall
Jamia Simone Nash	...	Hope
Ronald Guttman	...	Professor
Bonnie McKee	...	Lizzy
Michael Drayer	...	Mannix

MPAA:

Rated PG for some thematic elements, mild violence and language.

Runtime:

114 min | Israel:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:All | Ireland:PG | UK:PG | Germany:6 (f) | Singapore:PG | Germany:6 | South Africa:A | Argentina:Atp | Taiwan:GP | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG (certificate no. 43048) | Australia:PG | Peru:PT | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The IND Hoyt-Schermerhorn St. station in Brooklyn was used for the subway scene when August tries to run away.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The license plates on the cars in NYC have the design of the current New York License plates. However, the part of the movie where Louis is chasing Lyla is supposed to take place 11 yrs prior to present day, being 1995-1996. Those license plates were not issued until many years later, probably 1999-2000.

Quotes:

Jennifer: [sees Louis on the projector] Oh my god! Is that you?
[Louis doesn't answer]
Jennifer: When were you going to tell me you were in a band?
Marshall: [Cutting in before Louis could answer] I'm sure there's a lot of things our Louis hasn't told you darling, like who'd did you write the song for?
Louis Connelly: [turns away from Marshall] I told you this was a bad idea.
Marshall: That's it, go on! Walk out on us again!
[Louis turns back to him]
Marshall: Eh, Lou?
Louis Connelly: [Walking towards Marshall] Say what you have to say Marshall!
Marshall: No man, go on!
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Jerry Maguire (1996)

Soundtrack:

Magic Time

If you don't have a great imagination, you won't like it

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.