MovieChat Forums > August Rush (2007) Discussion > The problem with 'it's a fairy tale'

The problem with 'it's a fairy tale'

posted 17 years ago by action-barry
46 replies | jump to latest

I have just watched this unmitigated disaster of a motion picture and was astonished to see its relatively high rating on IMDB. I immediately came to the boards to try and figure out why the people who like this movie like it.

I see that most supporters are into its "fairly tale" elements. That is certainly a fair thing to enjoy, and I'm not going to knock that. I won't tell someone they're wrong to like or dislike a movie.

That being said, I have seen a number of people who DISlike this movie raise extremely valid negative issues with the movie only to have a hoard of fans rebut with "it's a fairy tale." This is an insufficient response to valid concerns.

A good fairy tale doesn't have people walking out and pointing out the less-than-realistic elements of the story. A good fairy tale effectively sets up the rules of the universe in which it exists and then works according to them. This movie did not do that. Why are so many willing to swallow that this little boy literally follows sounds he hears to New York and in doing so is reunited with his parents (a completely fantastic notion that, in this fairy tale, I didn't object to at all) but are NOT able to swallow, say, his needing to be taught by an adorable little girl how to plop notes on a piece of sheet music but then suddenly knowing how to write complex notation (which immediately struck me as ludicrous)? The latter is, frankly, far less bizarre -- so why is it so much more objectionable? I think it is because the movie doesn't ground this incredible ability of the boy in anything that happens in the movie. Indeed, it even suggests a direct (and false) correlation with Mozart, seemingly suggesting that this sort of fantastic wunderkind ability is humanly possible (which it isn't). A fairy tale doesn't do any of this kind of dangerous mixing of the real and the fantastic. A fairy tale doesn't give you a magical wizard and then tie the wizard into the natural framework of reality. That's dangerous and, frankly, rather misanthropic.

I find this sort of so-called "fairy tale" completely reprehensible. Fairy tales are supposed to be fantastical demonstrations of some real, human truth. The point of Cinderella isn't "if you're downtrodden you can count on magic to help you out" -- it's, among many other things, the classic ugly duckling tale. What is August Rush? If you are Superboy, you will do Superthings? My, how sad I am to not be Superboy. I will not be able to do Superthings now. Thank you, August Rush, for highlighting my painful normality. Ho-hum, back to the office with me.

Indeed, I shudder at the thought of a young person watching this movie and being taught that talent isn't worked at -- it is merely given to you. By magic.

In short, this movie can only be called a "fairy tale" because certain supernatural things occur in it -- primarily Superboy's magical music gifts. Literally everything else in the movie is the stuff of reality and coincidence.

As such, I don't consider this a "fairy tale." I think "fairy tale" is a nice sounding phrase for what this actually is -- undistilled cheese.

What does it say about a fairy tale if you can remove the fantastic from it and actually have a BETTER movie? If you strip all the supernatural elements from this movie it might have actually been a bit cute.

(Also, as a Mozart fanatic, I'm immediately offended whenever any movie continues to promulgate the completely absurd notion that Mozart didn't work his butt off at his music -- that he was simply transcribing notes that were magically popping into his head. This trilling, romantic notion is demonstrably and completely untrue and is an insult to one of history's greatest composer's difficult labors.) (But this is an aside, just another little gripe :)

[–] jambo_jambo 17 years ago

I agree with what you said.
It is unrealistic, isn't it?
However, I think they were trying to make a point that, because Evan's parents had gotten together for that one night and they both happened to be musicians, they somehow 'passed on' their genes onto their child.
I know that it's unrealistic, but people can't find better words for this movie than 'it's a fairy tale' (including me).

With genuine sincerity,
Jamie

[–] historymaker19 17 years ago

(Also, as a Mozart fanatic, I'm immediately offended whenever any movie continues to promulgate the completely absurd notion that Mozart didn't work his butt off at his music -- that he was simply transcribing notes that were magically popping into his head. This trilling, romantic notion is demonstrably and completely untrue and is an insult to one of history's greatest composer's difficult labors.)

I agree. As someone who was pretty much raised in music school, I found this movie to be kind of laughable at parts. I saw this with my friend and she was like, "Wow, he's so amazing," while I'm all, "No freaking way." I could just be being pessimistic, but that's how I saw it. Music is in no way easy. It's beautiful and lovely and all, but I've slammed piano keys and broken guitar strings and screamed my head off at times.

I agree that the movie was a bit over the top in its fantastical elements and in no way was a lot of the plot believable. Freddie Highmore's performance was great, but I found the character to be lacking, like I couldn't relate to him or engage with him as a protagonist. But the movie was somewhat enjoyable nevertheless, and the soundtrack is without a doubt one of the best of 2007.

*Official Member of the APEA (adam pascal eyelashaholics anonymous)

[–] mark-hansen11 11 years ago

Mozart wrote his first symphony at age 8. Evan here was like 11.

Your move.

[–] NeoWizard 17 years ago

Just want to let you know something, the problem with people and this being a fairy tale is because it is set in today world therefore they can't see it as a fairy tale due to a lack of imagination, if for example it would have been set in the 1700s which most people know nothing about they wouldnt be all over the realistic aspect of the movie since it was a fairy tale, but since it set in the world they know well people can't see the difference in between them.

It is sad that so many people lack imagination in their lives, I feel sorry for them.

[–] clownzed 17 years ago

action-barry, I totally agree with you on this. The movie never sets up its own rules. If it's a "fairy tale", then they should have made some effort to set it in a place other than the real world. The story isn't just all over the place with its logic, the fact that they decided to make some sort of attempt to have a realistic, gritty New York makes the whole thing just feel wrong. If you put such lazy writing in a more creative setting, or a romanticized New York, it might work better.

Funny thing, I saw Enchanted the same night, and had the exact opposite reaction. That film would've worked better if its New York wasn't so romanticized and over-the-top, because there is no contrast with the fairy-tale world in the beginning of the film. It was a waste of a good premise--after her initial scenes in New York, they really don't play up the ideas that could come with a fairy-tale princess lost in the real world, because they don't PRESENT the real world.

So on the way home, I was thinking about how if somehow the two movies had switched their respective New Yorks (funny, since they used many of the same locations, but so differently), both the films would've worked out better.

[–] maria1106 17 years ago

It's a movie for crying out loud. A movie can be anything the writer wants it to be. It definately has it's fairy tale aspects but alot of this movie is just accepting that this kid is a genius. Use your imaginations people. Plus Who's to say that all musicians have to work at it hard, why cant he just be a natural? I will use myself for instance. I taught myself the piano at a young age and I picked it up immediately. Not to mention that I am a singer and songwriter who has never formally been trained, I just got the talent. Writing music is a gift I have. It's natural. It just flows out into music and lyrics without any effort at all. I think this is a beautiful fairy tale like movie with it's realistic and unrealistic script. But either way it's excellent.

[–] katalius123-2 17 years ago

but that's exactly the point. You TAUGHT yourself how to play the piano, you worked at it. You didn't just sit down and suddenly you could play Beethoven. I am a songwriter myself, and though people tell me that I'm good at it, I never once say "Oh it's just a gift I have" you work at it whether you realize it or not. You don't just look at basic notation and suddenly can write out a very complex rhapsody.

Frankly I think the "it's a fairy tale" is such a bs cop out. "Fairy tale" does not excuse total lack of character and plot development. I don't care how unrealistic this was on the basis of setting and whatnot, it was just a poorly constructed film.

"But even Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues, you can tell by the way she smiles."

[–] lili-44 17 years ago

But he didn't just sit down and plop out Beethoven, he watched the other kid playing and looked at the Wizards hands to learn the notes for guitar, then spent the night teaching himself. Then in the church the girl showed him the basics and left him alone with the books so he could teach hinself the piano and later he attended the music school for what seemed to be a few weeks or months. Yes it happened really, really quickly but he was a "prodigy" (not to mention he is a movie character, it would have been kinda crap if he sucked at music and his parents found him because they heard the jarring noise of off key piano.)

[–] rk4 17 years ago

I'm all for fairy-tales, but this movie was just insulting.

Just one of the many insulting parts is when the baby is put up for adoption.
No counseling for the woman who's been in a car accident? No witnesses to observe her signing the papers? The father simply gets the papers, forges her name and the baby is gone? Any hospital that allowed that to happen would not only face a $50,000,000 lawsuit, but their maternity ward would probably be shut down. That has nothing to do with imagination or believing in fairy-tales, that's just lazy script writing. The script writer(s) simply had a point that they wanted to get to and they didn't care how illogical and downright stupid many of the scenes were along the way.

[–] russell_music 17 years ago

2 words
creative license
a fairy tale cna be re-defined every other day by it author. creativity should have NO limits at all or follow any rules.

plus it is possible to have such a wuderkind ability like this is just not common at all.

ay "Bluejay" Greenberg (born December 13, 1991, New Haven, Connecticut) is an American composer who entered the Juilliard School in 2002.

He came to the American media's attention in part through the sponsorship of Juilliard instructor Samuel Zyman, who lauded Greenberg's talent during a CBS News 60 Minutes broadcast on November 28, 2004, and again on November 26, 2006. "We are talking about a prodigy of the level of the greatest prodigies in history, when it comes to composition. I am talking about the likes of Mozart, and Mendelssohn, and Saint-Saëns."[1] His primary composition instructor was Samuel Adler.

Greenberg composes primarily on his computer, using a music notation program with which he can commit his ideas to paper and play his scores back on synthetic instruments. He has written five symphonies and other works. His most famous work is currently an Overture to 9-11, about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At the time of the attacks, he was living in Macedonia but has since returned to the United States. His father is an American and makes a living as a Slavic linguist. His Israeli-born mother also has no musical background, but Jay found himself attracted to music from an early age, having begun playing the cello at the age of two.

age two, you DONT WORK YOUR BUTT OFF AT AGE TWO

sorry for the capitals

luv

[–] missbittens 15 years ago

1. If creativity shouldn't have any limits or rules, then speaking hypothetically, would it be okay for a work of creativity, such as a film, to be racist, sexist, homophobic and endorse rape and torture? And if it's not okay, explain to me how this response fits with your earlier "creativity shouldn't have any limits or rules," statement.

Not that I saw any of those things in August Rush, just to be clear. I merely think your argument is faulty.

2. Outside of being horribly offensive or encouraging henious acts, creativity can move in any damn direction it wants, without any limits or rules. However, the product of such creativity generally won't have a lot going for it, quality-wise.

3. Bluejay's been learning since age two. He didn't simply pick up a cello one night and be brilliant.

[–] One_Man_Army 15 years ago

Okay, there's a problem with your third point. It is a known FACT that the very first time Bluejay picked up a cello, he played it brilliantly. After seeing a cello for the very first time, within seconds, he started playing it perfectly. This was when he was 3. That is an undeniably proven FACT. He also started writing perfect notation when he was 4 years of age, also an undeniably proven FACT. These are FACTS. You might want to research more about him because you obviously don't know much about him.

ALL HAIL THE HIGH QUEEN!!!!!

[–] Bale-Pearce-Oldman 17 years ago

Hahahahahahaha! I love reading your comments.

I like the film and I know that it is predictable and fake. Still I enjoyed it. I guess it's because I didn't take it too seriously.

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raningnina.multiply.com/journal/item/119/TIME_TO_UPDATE_MY_FAVORITE_FI LMS_LIST

[–] WUZZUP 17 years ago

Y'know I loved the crap out of August Rush, but I have to say - amazing review/response. Really. I completely agree with some of your points, even if I myself CAN suspend disbelief enough due to enjoying the movie. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for actually contributing something of depth to the discussion.

[–] MoonsofJupiter 17 years ago

Fairy tales are supposed to be fantastical demonstrations of some real, human truth.

You've captured the essence of what's wrong with this movie. I won't say I hated it because (forgive me, I could watch Jonathan Rhys-Meyer sit still for 2 hours and enjoy it) it had its charms, but its premise was false. Rather than teach the viewer something fundamental about the human condition it just stubbornly clings to the idea that if you "believe" in something it'll fall into your lap.

And I agree with the poster who said that the adoption thing was clumsy and ill-done. It would have worked better if the damn kid had been kidnapped and then run away from an abusive home. Who honestly believes that a mother wouldn't demand to see her dead baby? A mother who would just take her controlling father's word that it had died? Didn't she find it strange that none of the hospital staff uttered a word of condolence? When a woman wants to give up a child, she has to see counsellors and convince them that she knows what she's doing.

Grimm Brothers' fairy tales had more realistic ways to separate children from parents. None of them involved forging signatures.