August Rush
Promotional poster
Directed by	Kirsten Sheridan
Produced by	Richard Barton Lewis
Written by	Nick Castle James V. Hart Paul Castro
Starring	Freddie Highmore Keri Russell Jonathan Rhys Meyers Robin Williams Terrence Howard William Sadler Alex O'Loughlin
Music by	Mark Mancina
Cinematography	John Mathieson
Editing by	William Steinkamp
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	November 21, 2007
Running time	113 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

August Rush is a 2007 drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Paul Castro, Nick Castle, and James V. Hart, and produced by Richard Barton Lewis. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Kirsten Sheridan (born July 14, 1976) is an Irish film director and screenwriter. ... Nick Castle (born September 21, 1947) is an American actor,screenwriter and film director. ... James V. Jim Hart is a screenwriter and author. ... Paul Castro (born March 12, Bronx, New York) is an American screenwriter. ... Alfred Thomas Highmore[1] (born February 14, 1992), known professionally as Freddie Highmore, is an English actor. ... Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is a Golden Globe-winning American actress and dancer. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor and fashion model. ... This article is about the American actor and comedian; for other people named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ... Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actor. ... William Sadler as Luther Sloan on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine William Sadler (born April 13, 1950 in Buffalo, New York) is an American actor. ... Alex OLoughlin is an Australian actor, best-known for his laughably bad acting in Oyster Farmer, The Shield and Moonlight. ... Mark Mancina (born March 9, 1957 in Santa Monica, California) is a composer, primarily for Hollywood soundtracks, such as his collaboration with Trevor Rabin on the soundtrack for Con Air. ... John Mathieson is a Computer Science graduate who initially worked for Sinclair Research before going on to found Flare with fellow ex-Sinclair colleagues Martin Brennan and Ben Cheese. ... “WB” redirects here. ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... Kirsten Sheridan (born July 14, 1976) is an Irish film director and screenwriter. ... Paul Castro (born March 12, Bronx, New York) is an American screenwriter. ... Nick Castle (born September 21, 1947) is an American actor,screenwriter and film director. ... James V. Jim Hart is a screenwriter and author. ...

Plot

A boy named Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) lives in an orphanage, all the while believing that his parents are alive. He believes the music that he hears all around him is his parents communicating with him. Evan meets a counselor, Richard Jeffries (Terrence Howard), of the New York Child Services Department. Evan tells him he does not want to be adopted because he believes his parents are still alive. Alfred Thomas Highmore[1] (born February 14, 1992), known professionally as Freddie Highmore, is an English actor. ... Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actor. ...

Through a series of flashbacks, his parents are revealed to be a famous concert cellist named Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an Irish guitarist and lead singer of a rock band, who spend one romantic night together and never see each other again. While Evan has believed his parents have wanted him all along, his mother only lately comes to find out that her son is alive and sets out to New York to find him. His father has never forgotten Lyla and doesn't know about Evan. Both have since given up music. Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is a Golden Globe-winning American actress and dancer. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor and fashion model. ...

Evan makes his way to New York City, where he is taken in by a man known as "Wizard" (Robin Williams), who houses various orphans and runaways, employing them to play music on the streets, and taking a large cut of their tips. Evan immediately proves to be a musical child prodigy. Wizard enlists him, and gives him the name "August Rush", convincing him he will be sent back to the orphanage if his real name is ever discovered. After a raid by the police, Evan takes refuge in a church, where he again impresses with his natural musical talent, and is enrolled at the Juilliard School as "August Rush". A work he composes is chosen to be performed by the New York Philharmonic in Central Park, but Wizard barges into a rehearsal, and Evan reluctantly follows him back to his life of playing on the streets. This article is about the American actor and comedian; for other people named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ... Wunderkind redirects here. ... The Juilliard School is one of the worlds premier performing arts conservatories, in New York City. ... The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. ... Central Park is a large public, urban park (843 acres, 3. ...

Meanwhile, Lyla has discovered Evan's identity and has been living in New York searching for him. While there, she decides to resume her cello career, and is chosen to play in the concert featuring Evan's piece. Louis, believing Lyla to be married, also returns to New York to resume playing with his former band, and has a chance meeting with Evan in Washington Square Park. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Washington Square North. ...

The night of the concert, Evan finally chooses to run from Wizard in favor of performing at his concert. Louis races to the park when he sees Evan's pseudonym along with Lyla's name on a sign billing the concert. Evan conducts his piece, and at its conclusion, he turns around to see Lyla and Louis standing hand in hand, and he finally makes the connection that they're his parents.

Cast

• Freddie Highmore - Evan Taylor / August Rush
• Keri Russell - Lyla Novacek
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers - Louis Connelly
• Robin Williams - Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace
• Terrence Howard - Counselor Richard Jeffries
• William Sadler - Thomas Novacek
• Jamia Simone Nash - Hope
• Kaki King - Evan Taylor's hands (for all the guitar shots)
• Leon G. Thomas III - Arthur

Alfred Thomas Highmore[1] (born February 14, 1992), known professionally as Freddie Highmore, is an English actor. ... Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is a Golden Globe-winning American actress and dancer. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor and fashion model. ... This article is about the American actor and comedian; for other people named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ... Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actor. ... William Sadler as Luther Sloan on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine William Sadler (born April 13, 1950 in Buffalo, New York) is an American actor. ... Jamia Simone Nash (born August 21, 1996 in Virginia Beach, Virginia) is an American child singer and actor. ... Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is a American guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Music

• "Moondance"
  Written by Van Morrison, performed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
• "This Time"
  Written by Chris Trapper, Performed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
• "Bari Improv"
  Written by Mark Mancina and Kaki King, Performed by Kaki King
• "Ritual Dance"
  Written by Michael Hedges, Performed by Kaki King
• "Raise It Up"
  Written by Impact Repertory Theatre, Performed by Jamia Simone Nash and Impact Repertory Theatre
  Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
• "Dueling Guitars"
  Written by Heitor Pereira, Performed by Heitor Pereira and Doug Smith
• "Someday"
  Written by John Legend

The final number with Lyla and Louis begins with Lyla playing the Adagio-Moderato from Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor. Moondance is a Van Morrison song that was the title song on the 1970 album, Moondance. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a Grammy Award-winning Irish singer, songwriter, author, poet and multi-instrumentalist, who has been a professional musician since the late 1950s. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor and fashion model. ... Chris Trapper is a musician based in Boston, Massachusetts who is most known as the lead singer of the band, The Push Stars. ... Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor and fashion model. ... Mark Mancina (born March 9, 1957 in Santa Monica, California) is a composer, primarily for Hollywood soundtracks, such as his collaboration with Trevor Rabin on the soundtrack for Con Air. ... Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is a American guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. ... Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is a American guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. ... Michael Hedges 1953-1997 Michael Hedges (December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997) was an American acoustic guitarist born in Enid, Oklahoma. ... Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is a American guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. ... Raise It Up is a 2007 (see 2007 in music) Academy Award-nominated song written by Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas for the motion picture August Rush. ... Jamia Simone Nash (born August 21, 1996 in Virginia Beach, Virginia) is an American child singer and actor. ... The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). ... Heitor Teixeira Pereira, or Heitor TP is a Brazilian musician, who played with Simply Red, Rod Stewart and K.D. Lang and is currently working as a film music composer at Hans Zimmers studio. ... Heitor Teixeira Pereira, or Heitor TP is a Brazilian musician, who played with Simply Red, Rod Stewart and K.D. Lang and is currently working as a film music composer at Hans Zimmers studio. ... John Legend (born John Stephens on 28 December 1978) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Except for "Dueling Guitars", all of August's guitar pieces were played by American guitarist-composer Kaki King, performing as his hands for the movie. Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is a American guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Composer Mark Mancina spent over a year and a half composing the score of August Rush. "The heart of the story is how we respond and connect through music. It's about this young boy who believes that he's going to find his parents through his music. That's what drives him."^{[cite this quote]} The final theme of the movie was composed first. "That way I could take bits and pieces of the ending piece and relate it to the things that are happening in (August's) life. All of the themes are pieces of the puzzle, so at the end it means something because you've been subliminally hearing it throughout the film."^{[cite this quote]} The score was recorded at the Todd-AO Scoring Stage and the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Brothers.^[1]

Reception

In a review by USA Today, Claudia Puig commented that "August Rush will not be for everyone, but it works if you surrender to its lilting and unabashedly sentimental tale of evocative music and visual poetry."^[2] The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film positively, writing "the story is about musicians and how music connects people, so the movie's score and songs, created by composers Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer, give poetic whimsy to an implausible tale."^[3] USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 36% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 110 reviews. "Consensus: Though featuring a talented cast, August Rush cannot overcome the flimsy direction and schmaltzy plot."^[4] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 38 out of 100, based on 27 reviews.^[5] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ...

Pam Grady of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film "an inane musical melodrama." Grady said "the entire story is ridiculous" and "Coincidences pile on, behavior and motivations defy logic, and the characters are so thinly drawn that most of the cast is at a loss."^[6] Edward Douglas of comingsoon.net said it "doesn't take long for the movie to reveal itself as an extremely contrived and predictable movie that tries too hard to tug on the heartstrings."^{[cite this quote]} Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ...

Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars, calling it "a movie drenched in sentimentality, but it's supposed to be".^[7] Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...

The film was compared to Dickens' Oliver Twist and Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin.^[8][9] Dickens redirects here. ... Oliver Twist (1838) is Charles Dickens second novel. ... Coram Boy is a childrens novel by Jamila Gavin. ... Jamila Gavin (born August 9, 1941) is a British writer born in Mursoorie, India in the foothills of the Himalayas near the border with Pakistan. ...

Elite Gymnast Shawn Johnson, has adopted the music from August Rush as her floor music as she heads off to represent the United States of America in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Awards

The soundtrack has songs from new and established acts. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song ("Raise it Up").

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... February 29 is a day added into a leap year of the Gregorian calendar. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... February 29 is a day added into a leap year of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... February 29 is a day added into a leap year of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois and owned by the Tribune Company. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-St. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official site
• August Rush at the Internet Movie Database
• August Rush at Rotten Tomatoes
• August Rush at Metacritic
• August Rush at Box Office Mojo
• August Rush at Allmovie
• Scoring Session Photo Gallery at ScoringSessions.com