Reviews

August Rush
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So, take Felicity (from… wait for it, Felicity), the head honcho from The Tudors and that kid who made us all cry in Finding Neverland. Mix them together and what do you get? August Rush, that’s what.

Starring Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Freddie Highmore as the three main characters, August Rush is the utterly endearing story of little orphan Evan. Abandoned at the orphanage as a baby, he’s grown up hearing beautiful, sweet music all around him (read: in his head) - a sign he believes is from his parents who are looking from him. He eventually runs away from the orphanage and heads for New York in search of his family. All the while, the movie is punctuated by flashbacks to about 11 years earlier. Two young musicians meet: Lyla (Russell) is a classically-trained cellist and Louis (Rhys Meyers, complete with gorgeous Emerald Isle accent) is a singer in a rock band. The chemistry between the two is electrifying and they spend a passionate night together, doing - well, what young lovers do. The next day, they are separated and do not see each other again. (Sigh.) Then Lyla discovers she is pregnant, and confesses this to her über-controlling father. They have an argument, she runs out and WHAM - gets hit by a car. When she awakes in the hospital, her father tells her she lost the baby.

Anyway, back to Evan. Homeless in the Big Apple, this laddo is seriously out of his depth. Sweet and shy, he spots a street kid busking with his guitar, and the music draws him in. He befriends the kid and in turn is taken under the wing of Wizard (Robin Williams) - a rather creepy dude who looks after street kids. Getting the kids to play music on the street, Wizard makes his money exploiting the talents of the kids. It turns out our Evan has a seriously impressive natural flair for music and is in fact, a musical prodigy! Wizard thinks he’s hit the jackpot and renames Evan ‘August Rush’, sending his little money-maker out to bring home some dough. Poor naive Evan doesn’t really know any better.

The movie’s cast is a pleasure to watch - a really great mix - and also includes Terrence Howard (who I think is pretty darn cool). The credit, however, really needs to go to Freddie Highmore. This gorgeous, heart-faced kid hails from England and reminds me of… well, a little puppy. Know what I mean? Kinda like the runt of the litter: tiny, fragile and eager to please. I don’t know what it is about this kid, but he tends to make me cry. Whenever I watch Finding Neverland (and I’ve watched it quite a few times) that kid gets me every time! And here again, in August Rush, he had me reaching for the Kleenex. Damn that (adorable) little kid. Mind you, in turns out he’s not so little. Born in 1992 on Valentine’s Day, he’s actually 16 years old - but whether it’s the genes or copious amounts of Nivea, he looks much, much younger. Anyway, I digress…

Let’s not forget about the music… ah, the music. As you’ve no doubt picked up, music plays an integral role in the film and so naturally, there’s lots of it. We’re even treated to a few songs sung by Jonathan Rhys Meyers himself - not too shabby at all! And of course, there’s all that gorgeous music which flows from Evan/August. It’s really quite a treat for the senses and is cool in that it mixes classical music with rock - and not in a clichéd sense, as is sometimes the case in some other flicks.

Anyway, to find out what happens to Evan, you’ll have to watch the movie. Yeah, it’s a little corny. And yup, perhaps also a little predictable. But hey, it’s a really lovely movie that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. At least, that’s how it made me feel.

Nicola-Jane Ford is a 30-year old ‘chick’ who is the proud guardian of a fabulous cat and many pairs of equally fabulous shoes. She lives in (gorgeous) Cape Town and supports her love of red wine by working as a copywriter. She is the Assistant Reviews Editor here at All Things Girl

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