There are precious movies, and then there are movies about 11-year-old orphans following "the music." In this respect, "August Rush" is on another level.
We need to break out a whole new definition of cheesiness for a film like this, augmented by fake tears and vomit gestures.
It begins with a a boy (Freddie Highmore) standing in an open field where the surrounding sounds -- the wind, the trees, the grass -- swirl like a symphony in his head. In a whispering voice-over, he says: "I believe in music the way that some people believe in fairy tales."
It thus proceeds in fairy-tale fashion, though it's more unrealistic than surrealistic.
Without any tangible evidence, our protagonist senses his parents (Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell) are still alive and that he just needs to make music loud enough so they can hear him (sort of like the ethos behind a Coldplay album).
All you really need to know about "August Rush" is that Robin Williams plays a street musician named Wizard. Dressed like Bono and working as what amounts to a pimp for child street musicians, Williams' wacky and creepy character is his biggest misstep since putting on a clown nose for "Patch Adams."
• In wide release. Additional Information:
'August Rush'
PG for some thematic elements; 0.5 star
