All You Have To Do Is Listen

Rating: 6/10 (17 March 2008)

The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.
The trailer for the film is one of the most inspirational trailers I've ever seen. Unfortunately, most of the movie is nothing like it. This film is so depressing and nothing like a family movie (for the most part). I'm not saying I don't like it. I'm saying I wasn't ready for what was in store for me.
The movie is too melodramatic for my taste, if that's possible. The film is also predictable and improbable at the same time. However, some of the music numbers are good, as well as the performances by Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Sad, this movie had the potential. There were some great things and some very stupid things. The ending also felt rushed. The movie is just too depressing, melodramatic, sappy, scary, disturbing, laughable, and sometimes cruel, all at once! I guess the movie has its own pros and cons and I'm being lenient to this movie. It'll be decent enough for a rent.