Thanks to Netflix, I have seen another outstanding movie! I knew I wanted to see August Rush when it first hit theaters. I didn't make it then, and once it was available on DVD many friends and family raved about what a great film it was. Naturally, I had to experience the hype for myself.
The movie tells the story of a young boy, abandoned at birth, trying to find his birth parents. He has a special gift for music and believes if he plays, his birth parents will hear him and come to find him. Yup, you better grab the tissues.
The first 20 minutes of the movie are painfully slow, and had me doubting the film's potential. However, the back 90 minutes are exceptional. Freddie Highmore who plays the star, Evan Taylor, is quirky and endearing. His quest for his birth parents is his sole, committed focus, and his incredible musical gift seems to be secondary, despite its sensational power.
His birth parents are played by the stunningly beautiful Keri Russell (Felicity) and the sinfully sexy Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point, The Tudors). There are also two major stars in supporting roles - Terrence Howard and Robin Williams.
In addition to the beautiful and compelling story, the movie has the most spectacular lighting I have ever seen. I can't even remember noticing the lighting in a movie before this film. It is almost like another character in the story. The way it comes and goes depending on the mood, and illuminates a person during times of hope. It was breathtaking.
Another supporting "character" is Washington Square park in New York City where a majority of the movie takes place. As a lover of all things NYC, I enjoyed this location as the "happy place" for several of the characters.
August Rush is a story of love, hope, survival and most of all - the unifying power of music. Rent it. I dare you not to cheer.
