August Rush

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: November 21, 2007

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 228 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

JayH.Mar 6, 2008

The movie is an uncomfortable mix of fantasy and drama, it was meant to be more inspiring than it turned out. The cast is good though, but the story just isn't strong enough to make the film work.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

Dr.WayneMar 25, 2008

As soapy as a movie can get. You can see where it is all going and can't believe that it is actually going to go there ... the predictability is ridiculous.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

JonNJul 26, 2008

I am giving this a 4 because even movie makers and their employees need to eat. It might deserve an even lower mark by anyone who is a fan of art in its many forms. Unbelievable (in a negative way) acting and casting. The only reason anyone I am giving this a 4 because even movie makers and their employees need to eat. It might deserve an even lower mark by anyone who is a fan of art in its many forms. Unbelievable (in a negative way) acting and casting. The only reason anyone would give this movie any thumbs up is if they are delusional or infatuated with the actor/actress.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

stevesMay 10, 2009

I gave this movie a 4 just because the music was so enjoyable and the concept so nice. but what a mess. i so wanted to enjoy this movie which was recommended by a number of people. if it werent for the not very good acting, the suspension of I gave this movie a 4 just because the music was so enjoyable and the concept so nice. but what a mess. i so wanted to enjoy this movie which was recommended by a number of people. if it werent for the not very good acting, the suspension of disbelief required (ie. almost every minute of every scene), and the "silliness" of the whole thing, this potentially nice fairy tale couldve been closer to a masterpiece. instead, i watched it more frustrated than entertained.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

CuptralCritiqueOct 18, 2014

O...M...G...I don't know what to say. Mixed bag doesn't even describe it!

First off, this movie wasn't THAT bad. It just wasn't great. If it had been an independent film, I would of rated it higher, since I would of respected it'sO...M...G...I don't know what to say. Mixed bag doesn't even describe it!

First off, this movie wasn't THAT bad. It just wasn't great. If it had been an independent film, I would of rated it higher, since I would of respected it's production values more as the movie would of been harder to make. In fact, the production values are not half bad for a company produced movie, but that doesn't shake my "mixed bag" sort of feelings of this movie. I have never watched a "realistic" movie that is so ridiculously unrealistic! It just boggles my mind! I'll get to why that is soon, but since this is a review, I'll start with the story. The movie starts with a very cliche "bad orphanage" that a child called Evan has had to live in ever since his parents, Lyla and Louis, were forced to split up after Evan's conception. The story centres around Evan's parents then.....never seeing each other again.....WHAT!? The scene where they are getting split up makes next to no sense, and them never being able to find each other ever again especially in a world where social media rains supreme and they were supposed to be FAMOUS just seems ridiculous to me! Long story short, the kid finds and uses his talent for music (which is kinda well integrated with the story) to find his parents again. The story is basically a fairytale brought into reality, which I like. Sadly, at points, the story suddenly skips around, which can lead to confusion. At the end, I was simply starring at the screen in awe, completely oblivious to what was going on. The main character, Evan, was leading the orchestra, WITH NO BUILD-UP WHAT SO EVER!!! Touching though it may be, I needed SOME build up, or explanation or anything! The acting is okay for a big budget movie, in fact, it's sort of good in general, so I don't have much to say on that. Before I get into the main positives and negatives though, I'd like to tell you about a little...nope, big...nope, huge...nope, COLOSSAL nitpick I've had over the years about this movie. Evan can play ANY instrument of ANY kind without ANY experience, ANY practise, or even ANY knowledge of it! The worst part of this instrument factor is this movie's weird lack of knowledge for guitars.
1) You cannot play a guitar by slapping it the way Evan does.
2) For some reason, at the beginning, a guitar makes harmonica noises.
When it comes to the overall product, I'll start with some of the positives. The movie has some catchy music here and there, and it has some really nice shots. I'm gonna call a win for the director of photography and head director here! Finally, The movie is paced at a perfectly decent rate (minus random jumps and confusing edits). However, the negatives include a somewhat confusing script, laughable acting at times (though this is rare, and I know I said it was usually good before), and the fact that by the time ten minuets has elapsed, there are still freaking title cards playing! Okay, this review has gone on long enough, so it's time to wrap it up. I know I was a bit controversial with with my "Pay it Forward" review, since I know a fair amount of people really like it, (and yes, I admit it had a good moral, apart from the dying part.) and I know I'm probably going to be a bit controversial with this too, even though most critics seem to dislike both movies. "August Rush" has some good, some bad, and some okay. Simply put, decent for those who like this genre, and probably not decent for others.

R.I.P Robin Williams… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

JudyT.Mar 25, 2008

Could have been better if the main characters had been given more depth, like in Mr. Holland's Opus. Again Robin Williams makes the best of his small part.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

SweetDreamsNighFeb 6, 2015

I liked the movie up until the end. No explanation about ANYTHING. It just ended.. CRAPPY ending. I can't bring myself to watch it again because the ending is just painful to watch.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

KimM.Nov 19, 2007

I expected this movie to be much better. It is truly a fairy tale and one must suspend belief as there are an amazing number of coincidences. I love schmaltzy movies and should have been in tears at the end (no surprise how it ends as the I expected this movie to be much better. It is truly a fairy tale and one must suspend belief as there are an amazing number of coincidences. I love schmaltzy movies and should have been in tears at the end (no surprise how it ends as the movie trailer shows the ending) but I found the music disappointing, the performances one-dimensional (although I did want to see more of Leon Thomas) and the storyline weak.… Expand