August Rush

I thought this movie was beautiful. Everything in it is improbable, but if you suspend disbelief, it's beautiful. The trailer let's us know that this is the story--orphan boy and musical prodigy, feels a connection to his biological parents through music and thinks that if he puts his music out there they'll hear him and find him. I knew that to get it I would have to step into the reality the film sets up, not the reality we live in. It's visually stimulating, a wheat field in the wind, icy telephone wires down a long cold road, the jarring images of the city, and all of the sights match the incredible sounds in brilliant tapestry. Life sounds and music combine the way the music of his cellist mother and Irish guitarist father combine on screen. Freddie Highmore is wonderful as the boy who hears music everywhere and in everything. The supporting case is great, beautiful, fragile, but most importantly, their performances are truly supporting performances, which allows Highmore to shine. Worth the price of admission and the price of the soundtrack that's on my list for Santa.