August Rush – D-

I’m back in action folks! And boy do I have some news for you…

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest movie weekends of the year and I saw my share. My theaters at home in Philadelphia didn’t have the diverse offerings we have down in DC, so my sisters and I were hard pressed to find a film I hadn’t seen. Our favorite theater is the monstrous King of Prussia 16, and when I saw August Rush was playing I expressed my intrigue. My knowledge before the film was that it was something with Robin Williams (not a good gauge as he did do RV) and that kid from Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His name by the way is Freddie Highmore.

Now I own both movies due to my home boy Johnny Depp starring in both, but my interest was in how this kid would do on his own. That’s right I said alone. Robin Williams adds very little in his dark role as Wizard. He runs a theater/squat house where he allows young musical orphans (which he profits off of) live and practice. This role is a hybrid between The Fisher King and Hook just without the good script. Somehow this kid goes from adoption home to the slums to Julliard by “following the music”. This was actually pretty crafty, as the sounds of the street were mixed by a very skilled musician to make beats. His parents in case you hadn’t guessed are Jonathon Rhys Myers (equipped with a leather jacket straight out of a Michael Jackson video) and Keri Russell. They are both musically talented as well, giving the film “depth”, as their son is a product of two musicians…deep!

With all the negatives I’ve pointed out, I should say how enthusiastic I was that this movie might not be crapfest ‘07. I’m a sap for this kind of stuff. The concept is really cool and the movie starts off great! The first shots of Highmore in the field are all done by crane camera. We move up and down as the music and wind bring character to the young August. He seems to be playing the wind with his hands and hearing the beautiful music that flows throughout the film. I thought this movie had potential to be a tear jerker, or maybe a good drama.

That being said, it was painstaking. This film tested the limits of my ability to sit in a chair. I wanted to walk out, so did my sisters. The writers (the screenplay was co-written, so the bad writer award is shared today by Nick Castle, and James V. Hart) should have their pens drained of ink and the keys on their keyboards turned into hieroglyphs. You may say, “But Jesse, aren’t you being a little harsh? Isn’t it the director who is responsible for how the film looks?”

Yes my friends back from her six year hiatus Kirsten Sheridan has graced us with her presence again. I was so enthralled to hear about her return…I’m kidding I’ve never seen any of her films, and don’t want to give her a minute more of my time. Kirsten has flashes of brilliance but otherwise she’s out of her league. She has the star power yet she makes dramatic moments laughable. John Rhys Myers isn’t Daniel Day Lewis but she doesn’t even make him work, he just stares into the camera and looks pretty. Ditto for Keri Russell, or should I say Felicity. She really hasn’t acted since then so if I am bothering to call her an actress I should do it properly. Sheridan should be ashamed for taking a great concept and ignoring the thing beating in her chest. She makes the film so out of sync with the beautiful music I just wanted to close my eyes and ignore the dialogue.

Do not see this film, I can’t tell you how vehemently I am pounding the keyboard but believe me, it’s hard. Throughout August Rush it is hard to sit in your seat, it’s hard not to laugh when you know you shouldn’t be. I don’t know why we are seeing so many missing kid movies. Gone Baby Gone, Reservation Road (kid dies, not a spoiler, in the preview), and this piece of garbage make me applaud the writer strike in Hollywood. Perhaps it is time for some new talent to cleanse the lesser creatively inclined. (I kid, I kid, I kid, please don’t sue me)

I’m upset and I know you can tell. I wanted to like this movie, the camera work had promise but it’s the awful acting and writing that make it impossible to not laugh at. When we go to the movies, we want to suspend our disbelief. Why then, during the films most dramatic moment, are the girls in front of me and my sisters laughing just as loud as I am? This is poor film making and a 25 million dollar budget wasted. Oh did I mention Terrence Howard is in it? I like him (PHILLY PRIDE) but he needs a better agent. The Hunting Party and August Rush are not the films he wants to be doing right now. I’m most sorry for the sound crew, as they may have produced an academy award winning score.

DON’T WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME

If you are starving for entertainment, see my next review. Or check out Zang! the refreshing comedy group my friend Ivan and I created.

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