August Rush

When this movie first came out, I thought it was so awesome. However every time that I watch it, I can't help but think it's ridiculous. First, we have Lyla ( Keri Russel!) and Lewis ( Jonathan Rhys-Myers). Lyla is a Julliard cello performer, and Lewis is a wannabe rockstar. They meet and fall in love, but alas, they only have one night together before fate (Lyla's father) pulls them apart. Well, Lyla gets pregnant but never see's Lewis again. After getting in a fight with her dad, she gets hit by a car. The baby is delivered, and her dad puts him up for adoption, forging her signature, and Lyla goes on to believe that the baby died in the accident. Ok, in what hospital would this pass!!??? Call me crazy, but adoption rules are pretty strict, and I think they usually require somebody to be present when the mother is signing over the kid. Oh well, if this ridiculousness hadn't happened then there would be no movie.

So, what we learn from this movie thus far, is that when classical and rock mix and have a baby, it's a really weird baby who's best friend is music, and who can hear music in any environment he is in. He relies on this noise to lead him to his parents. Evan Taylor/aka August Rush (Freddie Highmore) is this weird kid. He grows up in a boys home in upstate New York. But he just happens to have a sense that his parents are still out there and want him. The music tells him this of course. He runs away to NYC, gets mixed up in a group of ruffian orphans who entertain on the street, then bring all their earnings back to Wizard (Robin Williams). Evan is finally able to play an instrument and is a musical prodigy. He can pick up any instrument and master it within thirty minutes. He becomes Wizards main money maker, and he of course hopes to exploit him. Well since Evan is a naive boy who didn't even know what whistling was in upstate NY, he allows this to happen for a little while. Then he runs away and finds sanctuary (literally) at a church where he is able to learn about music composition. The church then sends him to Julliard where he thrives, and ends up writing his own orchestra titled August's Rhapsody. He uses August Rush as his name so that the state won't find him and take him away, since he's only 11 yrs old (Wizard's idea of course). This will be performed in Central Park by the NY Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the meantime when all of this is going on, we are able to catch up with what's going on with his parents. His dad is some businessman in San Francisco who is super angry all the time and has quit music, and has never been able to really let go of his love/loss of Lyla. He had no idea there was even a baby. He eventually decides to chase after her, and so he hunts her down. Unable to find her, he goes back to NY hoping that music will heal his soul and so he starts playing again. He also hopes that somehow he will find her in the Big Apple. Lyla has been living in Chicago, but then her dad is about to die and he tells her the truth of what happened to the baby. She then goes on a mad search for her kid in NY. She moves there and agrees to play with the Philharmonic. Coincidence?! She hopes that by playing, her kid will find her. Just as by playing, Evan hopes his parents will find him. Crazy people.

All of this angst and dreamy talk about the power of music culminates at the Central Park Concert. Lyla plays her song, then walks away. Then after a final battle with Wizard, Evan conducts his concert. Then Lewis makes his way to the concert after seeing Lyla was playing there. While Evan's song is playing, Lyla sense's that it's him and turns back and walks towards the stage, at the same time Lewis sees Lyla and follows her. She pauses at the foot of the stage, and see's her son, which she has actually seen a picture of. Evan turns around and sees these two standing hand in hand and just knows that its his parents, and without speaking a word, Lewis gives a slight nod of the head signaling that he understands everything.

The music is very original in this movie, which is a cool thing. The acting isn't bad either. It's just the constant talking of the power of music that I find silly.

It's still a good movie, just be ready to either completely make fun of it, or go along for the ride and believe!

Andrew's Closing Thought: Completely absurd, but not bad

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