And it really was. A very cool soundtrack helped weave the two-minute trailer together; the story had "tear-jerker" written all over it to the extent I recall choking up slightly in anticipation for the real movie; Robin Williams looked like he had toned down his attention-deficit-disorder shtick a bit and was playing a feel-good character; and that cute kid from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" still looked cute. It had all the makings for a great winter release.

Sometimes, previews lie.

The movie is about a boy named August Rush (Freddie Highmore), an orphan boy who is convinced that if he can learn to perform music his real parents will hear him and some how find him.

Much of the film's first half hour overflows with August's narration, because apparently the audience cannot to be trusted to pay attention. But even if you aren't watching that closely, you'll get that August's mom (Keri Russell) meets his dad (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and gets pregnant; her father then forges her signature giving the baby up for adoption while telling her the baby did not live. Thus, August, his mom and dad are cruelly separated by fate. The only one thing that can bring them back together 11 years later: their music.

Even rehashing the plot, I have to stop myself from getting pumped up to see the movie - like I did months ago after the preview.

The finished product just isn't worth the hype.

In no particular order, here are the problems with "August":

• Robin Williams is nothing like the preview would have you believe. He is hardly a feel-good character. Try villain. And like he seems to do in every movie he makes nowadays, he makes me feel a little uncomfortable when he's on screen. Or maybe that's just me?

• The dialogue is painfully contrived at times and predictable to the point that I was reciting the lines with the actors even though it was opening day.

• While I'm no musical expert, I am guessing that any credible musician who watches this movie will be cringing throughout at the ludicrousness of what we are supposed to buy as realistic.

• Finally, at 133 minutes, "August Rush" is about 40 minutes long in the tooth.

But here's the kicker:

I was ready to forgive everything and buy in completely by bawling my eyes out at the end for a big, teary reunion. I was so ready. And the last 20 minutes are a maddeningly slow buildup to said reunion. At last, when it is just about to happen, we cut to an overhead shot of Central Park and the credits roll.

Excuse me? More than two hours of emotional buildup and then - nothing? Really?