August Rush

This morning I saw August Rush, starring Freddie Highmore and Keri Russell.

If it weren't for Robin Williams, this may have been a great movie.

At the heart of the film is little Evan Taylor (Highmore), an orphan with an incredible gift for music who believes his long-lost parents will find him by "hearing" him. He's placed in a miserable NY home for boys and runs away only to fall into the trap of "The Wizard" (Williams), an evil transient that pimps out young musicians only to reap the financial benefits.

Meanwhile Lyla (Russell) is a heartbroken cellist that never got over the supposed loss of her infant son (and his father, whom she had a passionate one-night-stand with). The boy's father Louis (Meyers) is a guitarist-turned-suit who left the pain of NY behind for a mundane life in San Francisco.

As you can imagine, there are many cheesy scenes that lead up to the predictable, if not sweet ending. But woven into them are great performances from Russell, Meyers, Highmore and Terrence Howard, who has a minor role as a social worker.

Robin Williams' awful overacting ultimately ruins the film, which with its message of music as a saving grace, could have been so much more.