August Rush

Wow...what a good movie. I really loved so much about it!! I have liked Freddie Highmore in other movies he has been in, but I still worry that, like many child actors, he'll get more and more annoying as he gets older. I feel like he's pretty close to said annoying state...but he hasn't reached it yet.

Freddie plays Evan, a boy who has grown up an orphan, but who is sure his parents are "out there" and that they want to be with him. He is sure that he can "hear" them in the music that he hears all around him, in the everyday happenings of his life. He lives at an orphanage, but eventually leaves, in search of his parents, following his love for music. He finds himself in New York, where he meets "Wizard," played by Robin Williams, who seems impressed with him, and says he wants to help him develop his musical talent. Eventually, Wizard gives Evan the stage name of "August Rush." August meets several people in his life, all of whom are amazed at his musical genius, and help mold his talents.

We also see the stories of Evan's parents, who met by chance, but were separated by circumstance, and have lived to regret that they were not able to stay together. They are also musicians; music is the common thread that binds them all.

The stories of all three main characters show that they are each incomplete without the other two, though initially only August is actually searching for the others. He see his music as a vehicle to find the parents that he's always loved, and believes it will bring them to him.

This movie was good in so many ways. I loved the characters and the music. I was drawn into the lives of the characters, and totally adopted thier emotions. I found myself wanting to know more and keep watching, even as the credits rolled. Excellent!!