NOVEMBER 30, 2007 - KANATA KOURIER-STANDARD - PAGE 35

Arts & Entertainment

Innovative soundtrack makes up for character letdowns in August Rush

3 OUT OF 5 STARS
KATIE BRADFORD

I imagine that it would be a difficult task to find someone who doesnt love music. There are many styles, many instruments and, of course, many musicians. Whether you love B e e t h ove n o r M i c h a e l Jackson, music plays a role in the lives of us all. August Rush is a film which finds its roots in the music that surrounds us. From director Kirsten Sheridan, the film follows a young boy named Evan (Freddie Highmore) who lives in a home for boys after being given up at birth. He doesnt know how to write, read, or even play music, but he can feel and hear it all around him. He believes that one day this music will lead him to his parents. His parents are Lyla (Keri Russell) and Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), two star-crossed lovers who share a magical night together. Louis is an Irish rocker with a soft-side, and Lyla is a classical cello player whose overbearing father never lets her have

KATIE BRADFORD any fun. Of course, they never get more than the one night, but spend the next decade pining for the love that never was. When August runs away to find his parents in the Big Apple he meets with many obstacles, including the scary Wizard (Robin Williams), a man who takes in street kids and turns them into buskers for cash. Even so, he never gives up on his music, and his quest to find the parents he knows in his heart still want him. Okay, so its a little cheesy; but it isnt a failure. One problem that presents itself early is the lack of character development. I wanted desperately to

know more about Lyla and Louis, wanted more development of their unfulfilled love. The deepest of connections is implied but never witnessed, making their motivations and lovelorn faces less important. It also seems a waste of two such incredible characters. The film instead focuses excessively on Evan (or August Rush). Although Highmore is a very accomplished young actor, the character isnt strong enough to sustain this much screen time. He is a very strange little boy who seems dazed most of the time, and constantly distracted (like the film sometimes is). While Williams is brilliant as the dark and complicated Wizard, he too steals screen time from Meyers and Russell. The film's legs are in its music, of course. The soundtrack to this film is making its way on to my iPod as we speak, and rightfully so. Meyers is a hypnotic front man, and the classical music fills your heart and ears with joy. The true spectacle is in the natural music that is used in the film.

The mixing of several atmospheric sounds to create a city symphony is entrancing. The sound mixers on this film should be praised. While it starts slow, the film picks up near the end and then almost blows it

"The film's legs are in its music, of course. Meyers is an hypnotic front man, and the classical music fills your heart and ears with joy." Katie Bradford
with a completely unsatisfying and unbelievable ending. All that aside, sometimes you need a heartwarming story to make you smile during the holidays. August Rush packs a great cast, great music and a story thats meant to make you cry. W h i l e i t l e ave s y o u wanting more, and is a little far fetched for my taste, somehow by the end I had almost stopped caring.

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