This modern day yarn weaves its tale through the world of music and the people that not only play it, but listen as well. Freddie Highmore plays the lost son, and musical prodigy, of two musicians who were forced apart by their families, and delivers an excellent performance portraying the orphaned child in search for his long-lost parents. Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers are a match made in heaven, and the audience is absolutely thrilled to experience their brief night of coming together in New York city due to the genuine love that expands from their first meeting. Furthermore, Robin Williams reveals a new side of his acting abilities as his character evolves from a cool, sleek, street-musician to a cut-throat, abusive, street-agent. All in all, the acting is great.
The story winds through the dangerous street of New York City, which to August, is a whole new world compared to the small orphanage in the countryside. This new world presents new friends, foes, and challenges August must confront making for classic dramatic situations and character development.
The lovely thing about this film is that it's a fantasy for modern audiences. Most of the time, and this is no exception, these sort of movies are shunned due to the audiences unwillingness to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the fantastic story unfolding before their eyes, but musical prodigy isn't something from fantasy or science-fiction ... it's real. The stretch is when the character leans into the realm of hearing his parent's music, but then again, it's a classic literary device: a metaphor, and it represents his faith.
Simply put: this is an extraordinary story! Great character arch for August, great cathartic resolution, and new and exciting realm of music never before experienced by audiences, this film is almost perfect! One small plot-hole in the set-up seems to skip a beat thanks to what seems to be a missing scene and an abrupt ending are they only problematic areas that could have earned more points.
:)