August Rush (2007)

Before I start this review, you have to realize that I am a big fan of music - all types - and there is a soft place in my heart for movies about music. That being said...

August Rush follows the fortunes of an 11 year old orphan that, as cheesy as it sounds, believes in the power of music so much, he thinks he can find his parents by following it. His parents are musicians in their own right, and conceive Evan after a one night stand. In order to avoid derailing her promising career as a concert cellist, Evan's grandfather tells Evan's mother that Evan died in child birth, which lands Evan in an orphanage. Evan's mother and father go their merry ways, not knowing that they have a child.

Turns out he is a musical prodigy, and after wandering away from the orphanage which he lives in he ends up on the streets of New York City. He ends up living with a bunch of homeless boys and their twisted leader "Wizard" (played by Robin Williams). At this point in the movie, it becomes clear this is a remake of Oliver Twist. The "Wizard" realizes Evan's gift for music, gives him a guitar, dubs him "August Rush", and duo start to make a lot of money busking on the streets. In the mean time, Evan's mother finally finds out what her father did with the child, and starts a quest to find him. Evan breaks from the Wizard, and through a series of circumstances ends up a Julliard where his musical gift is finally recognized for what it is. Can he use the power of his music to actually find his parents?

The thing you have to realize about this movie is that it is very unrealistic. There are lots of scenes where people just know that someone is looking at them, or that there is something going on on the other side of the world. And even the best of musical prodigies cannot learn to play a guitar within 15 minutes at the level that Evan breaks out. The film also unabashedly plays on peoples emotions. It is completely cheesy and preposterous. However, I bought it all - once I realized that the movie wouldn't be grounded in reality, it was a wonderful story. The final scene in the movie where Evan inevitably does bring his parents together is touching, even though it defies logic and reason. I guess what I am saying is, there are a lot of people who will hate this movie, but I say, get over it, its just a movie. There is a lot of great music to enjoy and a heartfelt message.

Dan in Real Life (2007)

I a fan of the Office, the Daily Show, and Little Miss Sunshine, so naturally I was excited to see Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life. Though the movie had its moments, I was rather underwhelmed.

The movie features Dan (Carell), widower, advice columnist, and father to three daughters. In the first 10 minutes of the movie, the clan packs up to go to a family reunion at a cabin somewhere. Leaving the girls behind to get a grip on his problems, Dan stumbles across a woman in a book store, played by Juliette Binoche, and the two instantly hit it off in the way only Hollywood can make serendipitous meetings seem so wonderful. They part ways after exchanging numbers, only to meet again at the reunion, where Binochet's character is revealed to be Dan's brother's new girlfriend. And so the rest of the movie is Dan being extremely depressed while getting himself into rediculous situations as he tries to avoid Binochet at all costs.

There are a few really funny scenes, but overall it was just slightly above mediocre for me. Carell demonstrates that he is a pretty good dramatic actor (even though this is comedy), and the end makes everyone feel good. My wife might kill me for this (she loved the movie), but I only give this a mild recommendation.

No Reservations (2007)

On the cover this is a romantic comedy right? Although I don't reject that classification outright, there is a dramatic and depressing streak in this movie. That is not to say I didn't like it, or that it wasn't funny.

Zeta-Jones plays Kate Armstrong, a master chef in a prominent New York City restaurant, who, within the first 15 mins of the show, loses a sister in a car accident. Her niece is sent to live with her, and throughout the movie the two struggle to adjust to one another – Zeta-Jones as the New York affluent sophisticate with a sought after career, and her niece Zoe (played by Abigail Brenlin, of Little Miss Sunshine fame) who is struggling to cope with the loss of her mother. So that is the depressing undertone of the movie. The light hearted Nick Palmer (played by Aaron Eckhart), joins Kate's restaurant as the sous-chef at the behest of its owner, to the chagrin of Kate, who rules her kitchen with an iron fist. Of course, you probably guessed they end up together.

There is some good comedy here – especially when the customers of the restaurant send food back to the kitchen, and the brooding Kate has some choice words and deeds to express her displeasure, despite the fact that they are paying customers (See the embedded trailer for a good example). The interplay between Eckhart and Zeta-Jones is better than I thought it would be. I guess what I am saying here is that this is a surprising recommend from me – I am not usually a huge fan of romantic comedies, but this one was quite well done.

By the way, I know nothing about the restaurant business (other than my mandate to tip generously regardless of the service – at the behest of my wife, who is a former waitress). But after having seen this movie and Ratatouille I feel rather enlightened :). It sure seems to confirm the hypothesis that movies come out in twos (Think Braveheart vs. Rob Roy, Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp, and The Illusionist vs. The Prestige).