Yes, August Rush is cheesy, almost embarrassingly so, but it's also irrepressibly sweet.
Comment
11/23/07
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 CriticUnapologetically preposterous, but it is a (very sweet) fairy tale and Highmore is captivating.
11/21/07
Top CriticWatching this yucky emotional drama is like being sprayed with treacle from a high-pressure hose.
11/23/07
Top CriticUplifting and heart warming, this is a perfect date movie.
01/22/08
Those 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
Fans 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
If you can stomach an ultra- contrived plot with a ridiculously schmaltzy finale, August Rush will be music to your ears.
11/23/07
This inspirational drama gets three stars for oddity value alone.
11/22/07
Top CriticA 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 CriticPacking 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
Nauseating drama with poor direction, dodgy performances and a sappy, cliche-laden script.
11/29/07
August Rush kind of feels like a 2-hour coming attractions preview. Lots of fragmented stuff happens, without ever connecting the dots in between.
03/10/08
All this could totally happen, just like an oak tree might spurt out of the ground to start singing and dancing, the Arizona Cardinals could win the next 50 Super Bowls.
11/22/07
Director Kirsten Sheridan's new film is August Rush. But she might as well have named it Oliver! 2: Electric Boogaloo.
11/20/07
We need to break out a whole new definition of cheesiness for a film like this, augmented by fake tears and vomit gestures.
11/21/07
However predictable, a good ol' fashioned happy ending is always welcome. But bring a box of tissues: A good cry is to be expected as well.
12/01/07
Will his parents, through a magical, utterly unlikely yet strangely compelling of fate, come running once they hear the longing in their little maestro's edgily hip, borderline Ani DiFrancoid slap-strumming? Far be it from me to state the obvious.
11/21/07
Schmaltzy and borderline insufferable.
11/21/07
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