Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Freddie Highmore | ... | August Rush | |
Keri Russell | ... | Lyla Novacek | |
Jonathan Rhys Meyers | ... | Louis Connelly | |
Terrence Howard | ... | Richard Jeffries | |
Robin Williams | ... | Maxwell 'Wizard' Wallace | |
William Sadler | ... | Thomas Novacek | |
Marian Seldes | ... | The Dean | |
Mykelti Williamson | ... | Reverend James | |
Leon Thomas III | ... | Arthur | |
Aaron Staton | ... | Nick | |
Alex O'Loughlin | ... | Marshall | |
Jamia Simone Nash | ... | Hope | |
Ronald Guttman | ... | Professor | |
Bonnie McKee | ... | Lizzy | |
Michael Drayer | ... | Mannix |
Twelve years ago, on a moonlit rooftop above Washington Square, Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), a sheltered young cellist, and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a charismatic Irish singer-songwriter, were drawn together by a street musician's rendition of ''Moondance'' and fell in love. After the most romantic night of her life, Lyla promised to meet Louis again but, despite her protests, her father rushed her to her next concert--leaving Louis to believe that she didn't care. Disheartened, he found it impossible to continue playing and eventually abandoned his music while Lyla, her own hopes for love lost, was led to believe months later that she had also lost their unborn child in a car accident. Their orphaned son (Freddie Highmore) uses his musical talent as a clue to find his birth parents.
If you love it, you'll LOVE it. If not, then the most you'll probably give it is an 'ok'. The movie requires the audience to have a somewhat willful suspension of reality as there are some slightly mystic themes interwoven in the storyline. But as the movie is basically centered on the power of music, the mystic elements make sense. It's completely about belief and faith in the intangible.
Personally, I loved the story. And the music was amazing. I had goosebumps throughout the entire movie. In fact, there was probably so much emphasis on the music that there was less character development than a lot of people would like. I liked this element of the movie, though, as it requires you to read between the lines. Not even the ending is handed to you nicely wrapped and on a platter. There's no wrap-up dialogue or epilogue sequence, just the audience's own inferences. Hence, if you don't have an imagination, you should stay home.