Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - August Rush

Sometimes a movie should get credit for trying to be different. "August Rush" falls into this category. The story follows an orphan, Evan Taylor, and his efforts to reunite with his parents. The boy, played by Freddie Highmore, (a really good little actor, BTW) grows up in an orphanage and we learn that he has an intense love for music. He discovers that his parents were also musicians and believes the power of music will eventually help him find them. Sound corny? Well, it is, but the movie is so sincere in it's belief that music can can connect people, that I found myself just going along with it. He eventually runs away from the orphanage and ends up in New York City. There he meets up with a group of street kids/musicians that are led by a strange character played by Robin Williams. Sure enough, Evan gets discovered as the prodigy that he is and even gets a cool stage name, August Rush. He eventually composes and conducts a symphony that leads to a less than surprising ending. The movie is certainly not perfect. There is some hokey dialogue, mostly form the parent's storyline. I never really bought into their love story, but the movie moves back and forth between their story and Evan's, so I was able to stay awake for the whole thing:). I could have done without the mumbo jumbo about "the musical/harmonic connection between all things" but I guess that was part of the movie's sincerity. I read in another review that the story is a loose adaption of Oliver Twist, so maybe it's not that original after all, but "August Rush" is definitely one of the most unique offerings that we've gotten in our red Netflix envelope in quite a while. I say "Go."