Unapologetically preposterous, but it is a (very sweet) fairy tale and Highmore is captivating.
Comment
11/21/07
August Rush (2007)
38
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:44
Rotten:72
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: Though featuring a talented cast, August Rush cannot overcome the flimsy direction and schmaltzy plot.
Theatrical Release:23-11-2007
Synopsis: AUGUST RUSH is part romance, part gentle fantasy, but this sweet drama is all heart. When young cellist Lyla (Keri Russell) and rock musician Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) meet at a party in the mid... [More]
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Director: Kirsten Sheridan
Reviews for August Rush
Top CriticPassionate about the importance of music, August Rush is an ambitious family film that just about keeps its head above the rising waters of gushing sentimentality.
11/23/07
Top CriticYes, August Rush is cheesy, almost embarrassingly so, but it's also irrepressibly sweet.
11/23/07
Top CriticThose who are prepared to forgive the film its stock characters and lack of emotional subtlety may allow themselves to be ravished -- by the sumptuous soundtrack, if nothing else.
10/26/07
Packing every cliché, coincidence and contrivance known to man (well, Hollywood screenwriters) into one glossy, saccharine, syrupy package takes some doing; but Highmore’s open-faced charm makes Evan’s sappy story tolerable.
11/23/07
Uplifting and heart warming, this is a perfect date movie.
01/22/08
This inspirational drama gets three stars for oddity value alone.
11/22/07
Top CriticIf you can stomach an ultra- contrived plot with a ridiculously schmaltzy finale, August Rush will be music to your ears.
11/23/07
A show-stopping compendium of clichés, bogus emotions, duff dialogue and cringeworthy performances. Yet it’s so naively idiotic that it’s hard to hate. Better just to ignore it.
11/23/07
Top CriticNauseating drama with poor direction, dodgy performances and a sappy, cliche-laden script.
11/29/07
Watching this yucky emotional drama is like being sprayed with treacle from a high-pressure hose.
11/23/07
Top CriticFans of soppy movies will probably love it, but everyone else should steer clear.
11/15/07
The film-makers ought to be reported to social services.
11/23/07
Despite its flaws, the music is the ultimate star of this film and Freddy Highmore is a highlight. He plays the role with a truthfulness and innocence that hasn't been matched by a child actor in some time.
11/21/07
The goal is to drive mothers everywhere insane with the urge to rescue him and brush his hair (or the other way around), and in my case it worked.
11/21/07
manages to stay just this side of saccharine, most of the time
11/20/07
Overly sentimental it may be, but August Rush took me quite willingly to a cinematic world full of music and hope.
11/18/07
More fable than film, there is no earthly reason why August Rush should work. But it does.
02/28/08
I liked the movie, but I wanted to get caught up in it and swept away by the magic and it didn't quite make it over the rainbow.
11/21/07
Most of the time, the material is quietly, subtly perfect.
11/21/07
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