| 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.
This is a fantastic movie. Well done. During our screening at a particularly tough part for the title character, I heard people in the theater say "No, no..." The level of "buy in" and suspension of disbelief is high.
Even the dissonance of Wizard and Lila's father was handled superbly. Robin Williams hit just the right note in his portrayal of Wizard. The actors playing Agust Rush/Evan Taylor and his mother and father were amazingly well cast.
This is truly a symphony of a film. You'll enjoy it, your children will enjoy it, and you will walk out of the theater knowing that, for once, your ticket money was well spent.