 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
August Rush
- Review Date: March 10, 2008
- PG
- Genre: Drama
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Pleasant, emotional, fable-like family drama.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this emotional is fairly good family entertainment, with sexual content at a minimum and lots of warmth and great musicianship. That said, there is a bit of violence (a man flashes a knife at children), some social drinking, and a few iffy words ("damn," "pissed," etc.). And since the first half of the movie relies on lots of flashbacks -- which could be confusing for younger kids -- it's probably a better pick for tweens and teens.
What's the story?
Ah, young love. It's the heady cocktail that entwines two young musicians -- Irish singer-guitarist Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and reserved, brilliant cellist Lyla (Keri Russell) -- in this imperfect-but-winning film. After meeting cute in Greenwich Village, they spend the night together. But morning brings the harsh glare of sunlight -- and reality: Lyla is whisked away by her protective father (William Sadler), never to see Louis again. Nine months later, when a pregnant Lyla winds up in the hospital after an accident, she's told that the baby she and Louis conceived that night has died. Only he hasn't. Instead, Evan (Freddie Highmore) is sent to a home for wayward boys, where he pines for his parents, believing he can will them to find him through his music. (He's a prodigy, able to tap into the harmonies of nature -- grass rustling, wind howling -- and command new instruments the moment he picks them up.) So when they fail to materialize at the dreary institution's doorsteps, he sets out to look for them. And with the help of a social worker (Terrence Howard), and the propulsive force of his music, he just might.
Is it any good?
AUGUST RUSH proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. Despite the lows -- and there are lows -- you just know there will be a happy ending. Allegorical and not altogether literal, the movie is part musical and part fantasy, a combo that doesn't always quite mesh. But the stars -- particularly Highmore and Russell -- are charming, and so innocent that you can almost believe a story like this could happen in real life. However Robin Williams strikes the wrong chord as Wizard, an aging busker, who, Fagin-like, rounds up a bunch of musically inclined street urchins, encourages them to play, then keeps much of their take at the end of the day. (Evan takes up with them, and it's Wizard who renames him August Rush.) With his hat and swagger, Williams seems to be channeling Bono by way of Saturday Night Live. The effect is humorous, but not for the right reasons; you keep expecting him to go off on one of his riffs to signal that he's joking.
August Rush does a great job of establishing the connection between Evan and his mother; in two separate scenes, they discuss how many days they've been apart, using nearly the same syntax. But there doesn't appear to be the same bond between Evan and his father (though seeing them play guitar together is somewhat moving). Director Kirsten Sheridan draws the link between Louis and Lyla much more clearly, making their coupling seem completely inevitable and, consequently, dreamy and meant-to-be. (Just like the movie's happy ending...)
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what kind of movie this is -- is it a drama? A fantasy? Both? How can you tell? Do you expect a movie like this to be realistic? Families can also discuss how the movie portrays music. Does it really have the power to connect people? To heal their wounds? Why? Can you think of other movies that depict music's enormous, and sometimes magical, reach? And, last but not least, what can viewers learn from how Evan keeps believing in a kinder, gentler world, despite his background and everything that happens to him? What's the big lesson here?
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AGE
An Amazing Movie. Some iffy stuff in though. Not for kids under 8
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AGE
Only for kids who know how babies are made
This story begins with a pregnancy growing out of a one night stand. My 8 year old who does not yet know the birds and the bees found this confusing and wanted an explanation. So don't show this to your 8 year old if they don't understand how babies are made and you don't yet want to tell them. The fact that the lead characters have sex within hours of meeting each other is also inconsistent with our families values, so keep this in mind too if you are planning to show it too your kids. All that aside, my daughter loved it.
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AGE
Beautiful, moving, family film, nothing innapropriate, see it. NOW!
THIS IS A FANTASTIC FAMILY MOVIE, I think it is appropriate for everyone, and the themes and subject can probably relate to everyone, I don't think there is anything remotely innapropriate for kids, its got great messages and role models, and its just a really moving, beautiful film which I HIGHLY reccomend for families and kids.
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AGE
Wonderful Movie
I started whaching it in choir, then ended up renting it to finish. It was a very beautiful movie, and I wish it had gotten better reviews from critics. Then again, I'm a band geek, and the music in this flim is phenominal.
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AGE
true love?
August's parents meet, start kissing after exchanging just a few sentences, come together in a one night stand, never forget each other, and eventually find each other, reunited in true love after 11 long years.
There's only a little kissing shown on screen, so the images are not a problem.
The more troubling issue: what constitutes true love? What forms the foundation of a durable, lasting love relationship that produces a stable marriage? Is it looking into each other's eyes on a moonlit night and sharing a mystical connection through music? I want my kids to be exposed to stories about what true love really looks like. I don't want to fill their imaginations with romantic but flimsy models of what it's like to meet 'the one'. This one's not worth seeing for a number of reasons. That particular message is most troubling to me.
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AGE
Great movie, family movie
I loved the movie. It was great and had a great ending to it. I advise anyone to see it.
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AGE
This movie is all about music which is cool because I LOVE music.It shows what happens when a boy goes to find his mother and father but he doesn't know he has a gift.
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AGE
Not just a chick flick...
I think it would be better for 13 & up mainly because younger kids wouldn't catch on to all the flash backs, and duel life scenes. There's a few disturbing scenes where boy get bullied but thats life in a boys home and its good for our kids to know that.
This is a good movie to talk to the kids about the things money can't buy - the way music can make you feel, talent & how in the wrong hands can be wasted and of course love & soul mates even though the parents relationship is very unrealistic.
All n all a feel good movie...
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AGE
This is my favorite movie!
Amazing movie! Gives me chills every time I watch it! Music can really move you.
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AGE
Loved it when we saw it in the theatre- bought it on dvd as part of Father's Day gift, and will watch it for the second time with our girls- ages 8 and 10 (both very mature)- this week...
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| Topics: | music and sing-along |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Kirsten Sheridan |
| Cast: | Freddie Highmore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 113 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 21, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | March 10, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | some thematic elements, mild violence and language. |
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