Oliver Twist gets a contemporary makeover in this schmaltzy urban fairy tale about a young musical genius. Evan, the orphan of this tale, is played by Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and is the result of a one-night stand between classical cellist Keri Russell and roguish rock musician Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Desperate to find his parents (who are unaware of his existence), Evan flees his orphanage and heads to New York. There his prodigious musical gifts win the attention of Wizard (Robin Williams), a Fagin-like Pied Piper who controls a group of busking street kids and nicknames him August Rush. Unlike the violent fantasy of Irish director Kirsten Sheridan's debut Disco Pigs, this glossily sentimental movie is pitched at pre-teens. That's probably just as well, since its woefully contrived storyline and overcooked mumbo jumbo about the mystical power of music are too ridiculous for most adults to endure.