RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / August Rush
August Rush

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

August Rush (2007)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
38 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some thematic elements, mild violence and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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 1990s, it's love at first sight, and they spend the night in each other's arms. But Lyla's father forces them apart, even though she later learns she's pregnant. Later, an accident lands Lyla in the hospital, and though her father tells her that her baby died, the child survives and is given up for adoption. AUGUST RUSH jumps to the present and begins to follow Evan (Freddie Highmore), an 11 year old who has grown up in a boys' home. As Evan embarks on a crusade to find his parents, he imagines he can communicate with them through his gift for music. His journey to New York City brings him into contact with Wizard (Robin Williams), a man eager to capitalize on the child prodigy's talent. Wizard gives Evan the name August Rush as he begins performing all over the city, but the boy's ultimate goal is to find the parents he has never met. From FINDING NEVERLAND to CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, Highmore has displayed an almost prodigious talent himself. He's a gifted young actor, and this emotional story is the perfect venue for his acting. AUGUST RUSH isn't a film for the cynics, but even the hard-hearted in the audience will have difficulty not being touched by this sentimental film. As in Evan's life, music plays a central role in AUGUST RUSH, and it's tough not to let your heart soar along with the melodies. Though it could draw comparisons to OLIVER! and ANNIE, this is a unique and heartwarming film. [More]

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, William Sadler, Mykelti Williamson, Ronald Guttman

Director: Kirsten Sheridan

Director: Kirsten Sheridan
Screenwriter: Nick Castle, James V. Hart
Story: Paul Castro, Nick Castle
Producer: Richard Barton Lewis
Composer: Mark Mancina
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Freddie Highmore
    >
    Jonathan Rhys Meyers
    >
    Kristen Sheridan
    >
    Keri Russell
    >
1 - 4 of 4

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for August Rush

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/21/07
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

It's hard to believe in the magical power of music to heal and connect lost souls when the tunes are lame.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
11/21/07
Jennie Punter
Jennie Punter
Globe and Mail

Director Kirsten Sheridan has no interest in keeping August Rush tethered to reality or toning down the sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
11/21/07
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

It tries very hard to be fanciful, lyrical, sentimental, magical, rapturous, romantic, heartwarming, tear-jerking and inspiring. The result, however, is a goulash of half-baked bathos.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
11/21/07
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

I dislike sentimentality where it doesn't belong, but there's something brave about the way August Rush declares itself and goes all the way with coincidence, melodrama and skillful tear-jerking.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
11/21/07
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An exercise in dissonance.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/21/07
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader

If August Rush is a fairy tale, it's an excruciatingly, sometimes hilariously oblivious one.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/21/07
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

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.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/21/07
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

We need to break out a whole new definition of cheesiness for a film like this, augmented by fake tears and vomit gestures.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
11/21/07
Jake Coyle
Jake Coyle
Associated Press

If sentimentality were a cymbal, it'd be like having a percussionist standing right behind you and crashing every other beat.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
11/21/07
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

Its exertions are too obvious, and its story is too contrived for us to swallow it.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
11/21/07
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

A light, fanciful touch at times bolsters its "fairy tale" feel, but at times the story incorporates just enough "realistic" elements to drag the whole thing back down to earth.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
11/21/07
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

This is the sort of movie that requires you not only to suspend disbelief, but to check your sanity at the ticket counter.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
11/21/07
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

Think of it as a fairytale only with more of a ... oh, who am I kidding? I can't defend this.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
11/21/07
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

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.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
11/21/07
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Doesn't take long for the movie to reveal itself as an extremely contrived and predictable movie that tries too hard to tug on the heartstrings.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
11/21/07
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

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.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
11/21/07
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

Before you can say one night stand, a pint sized street urchin is a big city superstar. American Idol for kids.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
11/21/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

An aggressively bad movie. There are times when it tips the scales of absurdity and becomes almost comical.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 3 Comments
11/21/07
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

To describe August Rush as a piece of shameless hokum doesn’t quite do justice to the potentially shock-inducing sugar content of this contemporary fairy tale.

comment 1 Comment
11/21/07
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for August Rush

March 10, 2008: RT on DVD: Call It, Friend-O -- No Country For Old Men Hits DVD
The critically-acclaimed, Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men comes to DVD this week, accompanied by a litany of fellow Fresh films (Lake of Fire, Summer Palace, Dan in Real... More...

December 13, 2007: Fifty-Nine Songs Vying for Best Song Oscar Nominations
When they sit down on January 15th to determine the Best Song nominees for this year's Oscars, voting members of the Academy's Music Branch will have plenty of tunes to choose... More...

November 28, 2007: A fanciful fairytale blending elements of Oliver Twist, Ferris Bueller, Peter Pan and The School of Rock, and likely to entertain and enthrall preteens for a couple of hours. Opens in new window
More...

November 25, 2007: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Enchanted Conjures Up $50M Thanksgiving Debut
The box office bounced back over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend as moviegoers spread their dollars across a wide variety of films which collectively helped to bring the... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
162
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
79
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
55
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
36
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
23
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
30
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • August Rush at Rotten Tomatoes
  • August Rush at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.