Well-meaning but lazy

Rating: 5/10 (2 November 2007)

August Rush is about an orphaned boy who is a musical genius and tries to find his separated parents (Louis and Lila) through the power of music. The film is supposed to be a feel-good film and I can see how the talented cast was drawn to its message, but they are let down by lazy writing.
One example is how Lila and Louis meet. The writing fails the actors and cramps them with dialogue such as:
Louis: "What's your story?" Lila: "Me. That's it." Louis: "Yeah?"
It reminds me of the stilted dialogue from Star Wars II. The audience needs to believe these people had such a connection they would hold on for 11 years. The writers use the awkward assumption that since the whole story is based on the couple's love, Lila and Louis must love each other then - even if there aren't many scenes that justify it. Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.
Another example of lazy writing is the character played by Robin Williams. From the trailer, you'd assume the character was an eccentric vagabond that teaches August about music from the heart. Instead, he's an exploitative child abuser who is out of sync with the rest of the film. But why does he exist in the film? His role is merely to create a physical villain to stand up to since hard work, overcoming your fears and believing in yourself are too hard for the writers to show. Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.
Everything also comes too easy in the film. None of the characters give up or overcome anything to reach the end. For example, Louis ends up in San Francisco and obviously he's a suit now because -duh- he wears a suit. (Lazy.) He has a girlfriend (Amanda from Ugly Betty! in a thankless cameo) which could have been interesting if the girlfriend doesn't leave on her own. (Lazy.) he leaves his job to move to Chicago, then New York (but we don't get to see him quit) and gets back into a band seamlessly after 11 years assumed not playing or practicing. (Lazy.) He never even knows he has a son, which seems also pretty lazy for a film about a boy reconciling his parents.
By the way, August is a prodigy and it's like someone out of the Matrix downloaded all the genius level tapes on music into his brain. He plays guitar amazingly without having been given a single lesson. (Lazy.) He can play a church organ by feel. (Lazy.) After being told that piano keys can be remembered as FACE, he can write music using trills, ties and running sixteenth notes. (Lazy.)
He never fumbles and I wonder how long we're going to force ourselves to believe that determination, practice and instruction are less important than talent alone. I'd counterpoint this film with "Akeelah and the Bee" which showed the need for both.
Finally, the film misses the essential scenes. We don't get to see Louis trying to find Lila except for after their first night together. No phone book. No Googling. He does sit at the Arch in Manhattan sometimes, but so does she and I guess they go enough times for a montage but not enough to meet each other.
They only meet at the end, which is ridiculous. The two should meet up two-thirds into the film so they can spend the last third finding their son together. But why doesn't this happen? Because it might lead to conflict (how does he feel that he has a son he never knew about? is he still mad that she left him? will they still like each other after a decade?) and the writers want to avoid that at all costs.
At the end, when everyone does meet up, they don't even hug or kiss or play music together. They just stare at each other. I want catharsis. I want to see family stuff. Why did I spend almost two hours if they don't even have a meal together or something?
In the end, the film assumes you have seen countless films like this one and will go along with it without having to explain much. It's like they decided to dramatize the synopsis on the back of a Blockbuster video than actually create a full story. Do I need to say this one more time? Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.
I will disclose that a few people in the audience were sobbing, so if you don't expect too much, enjoy the pretty actors and see the film for free, you're golden.
I think there was a smarter, rougher film in here that got sanded down to its blandest edges. And I can enjoy sappy sugary films. But I can't like ones that pretend to look for meaning, but are actually looking to fill time until the final frame.