I was invited by NCS Portal to do a media review of the movie August Rush. Maybe you haven’t known that I am one of the 5 resident bloggers of this portal since March 2007. Oh, that makes it my first year anniversary with them then! Gosh, time flies really.

You can read about my blog posts here.

And this is what I had to say about this movie:

*** BEGIN OF REVIEW ***

Call me Tricho Kiia. Never mind that it does not sound as chic as August Rush. For the better of my career, I have decided to change my name anyhow.

Besides having a modish name, Evan Taylor aka August Rush (Freddie Highmore) really boasts an unique and stunning ability to hear sounds, all thanks to the great genes inherited from his acclaimed musician parents, Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). To ears like mine, the capability to string mundane noises into an orchestra piece is not nothing. It is something.

Imagine the thumping of basketballs. The clanging of bins. The humming of wind chimes. The clattering of foot steps. Now put them all together, and play it in C Major. You get it? Never mind if you don’t. Me too, but that does not stop me from enjoying the grand music.

Music aside, let’s talk about the movie. But we can’t! Because August Rush is all about music and love. And some magic.

August is the result of a magical and the most beautiful night that Lyla has ever spent with Louis, a rock band singer, to whom she is separated from by force.  Louis did not learn of Lyla’s pregnancy in the days when they are torn apart, and neither does she about August being put up for adoption by her father at birth. 

For eleven years, August count the days he spends waiting to be found by his parents. He holds the belief that if he can somehow play out the music that he is hearing his parents will be able to hear him, and then, find him. Music lures him out of the adoption centre and into New York City, where he begins his music career first with Wizard (Robin Williams), then the famous Julliard music school and eventually, the sweet reunion at the park.

Highmore lends great credibility to this role with his sensitive and quiet acting. No big facial expressions, only subtle yet sincere ones that shows his strong faith, longing and an older-than-an-eleven-year-old air as what August is. His excellent portrayal makes you want to rush the movie director to let him meet his parents, because you just cannot bear seeing him not running into his mother’s embrace sooner. Simply put, he touches your heart and melts it too.

Meyers sings exceedingly well too. Yes, he is the one singing “This Time”, though we are seeing doubles when Highmore and Russell are playing the guitar and cello respectively. He and Russell make a very compatible couple on screen and you can already smell their chemistry even before they meet. It is the music that links them together, and later, they and their child.

(Oh, the hair. I love the hair!)

Wizard plays the villain but August cannot brush him off as just the bad guy. After all, he is the one who brings August to the street and taught him all he knew about music.  And I am touched by the soft look in Richard’s (Terrence Howard) eyes as he verbalises August’s fear of stepping out of the adoption centre. Richard is the sympathetic employee, and possibly the most empathetic one as he is the newest addition, in the child protective services who is the only one helping Lyla in her search for August.

There are many twists of fate, which I prefer to say by the hand of God as the plot unfolds events that bring August an inch closer to Lyla and Louis each time and pulls them away concurrently. It is these hits and misses that prolong the finale and add a little bit of suspense.

Although the plot is predictable and there are some not-so-believable occurrences like how a mother is able to instantly recognise a kid as her son when she has not seen him at all for eleven years, August Rush no doubt sets out to deliver what it promises - music, love and magic.

And, a sweet yet grand reunion.

I didn’t know guitar can be played this way. Now I do.

August Rush is definitely a movie worth going for, especially with your loved ones. If you find the plot good but not unique enough, the music great but not astounding enough, the strong casts will keep the saccharine and dazzling sides of it.

*** END OF REVIEW ***

That’s it! My first official movie review done in the capacity as a media person. Though it was a pity that no popcorns were served (how I wished for them!), the seats were very big and comfy, much better than the ones we get in the usual cinemas.

Catch August Rush next Thursday, 6 March 2008 when it begins it’s screening here.

Technorati Tags: movie review, Kloudiia,  August Rush, Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Jamia Simone Nash