I Want My Two Hours Back....

Rating: 1/10 (18 November 2007)

This movie has superb actors, beautiful shots, and some beautiful songs. None of those matter, though, because the finished product is terrible. It offends me as a moviegoer that "August Rush" made it to theatrical release.
I saw a preview screening here in Hollywood two weeks ago. I can't imagine what the director, producers, and others responsible for quality-control were thinking. Somehow, they made an entire feature film without once asking, "Wait: does this script have the basic elements of a decent story--or any story--in it?" Any breathing person with a sense for a fun or interesting movie could have spotted that this one needed *ahem* WORK! I don't mean to say "August Rush" is a good story or a bad story. What I mean to say is, it's not a story at all! It's a mish-mash of fairytale clichés and musical sequences that almost distract one well enough to miss questioning, "When do the characters change, or overcome, or surprise us and themselves?" It never happens. The characters don't connected with each other, and none of the characters who could be a hero to us faces any difficulty of interest or meaning. Nope, just "Poof! everything's solved!" and the movie ends. With more sweeping music.
When our preview screening was over, the audience sat in silence for what seemed ages. A few people laughed quietly. It was as though the overwhelming urge to be polite was fighting with the revulsion and hypocrisy of applauding such a film. In the end, a very few people gave a golf clap and everyone escaped into the night. (NOTE: We appreciated these brave souls who sacrificed their honesty for the good of the many.) My friends and I had gotten into the screening for free, but we still felt mugged, and every one of them said so. If I ever meet the director, I'm going to ask for my two hours back, then ask for humanity's sake that she go direct music videos or commercials in which an interesting story isn't a requirement. Women are starting to make inroads as directors in Hollywood. Ms. Sheridan could single-handedly set them back decades.