Sing Street (2016) Director: John Carney Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor Genres: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance (courtesy IMDb), Coming-of-Age IMDb Synopsis: "A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes." |
Spoiler-Free thoughts:
It only took about five minutes for Sing Street to grab me. In the first scene, one character takes a shot at Catholics. If you've seen the film you know what I mean. Now I'm a Catholic, but that joke killed me! The rest of the film was just pure heartfelt entertainment. All the characters are great, but there were a few standouts. Firstly, Jack Reynor as Brendan, our protagonist's burn-out older brother. If you don't recognize the actor's name, you may remember him as Shane, the rally car-racing boyfriend in Transformers: Age of Extinction. He was the one who carried a card with legal statutes explaining why it wasn't statutory rape for him to date a minor. Suffice to say, he's much better in this film. Now I'm the oldest brother of three, & this movie left me wishing I had someone like him above me. This guy is cool personified. I also loved the female lead Raphina, as portrayed by Lucy Boynton, & of course Ferdia Walsh-Peelo was good as Conor. Conor occasionally seemed a little obnoxious to me, but not to the point where he was unlikable. More on this in Spoilers, though.
Lastly, the attitudes & themes that Sing Street presents really help give it weight. I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, & this film certainly is one. It does get a bit predictable at times, but every coming-of-age film follows the same basic format. Sing Street is formed because Conor needs an excuse to spend time with a girl, but the band ends up maturing him & helping him find his identity. This film is a timeless story, and whether you're an '80s aficionado or not, Sing Street is definitely worth your time.
That's all for the non-spoiler segment, SPOILERS SPOILERS AND MORE SPOILERS after the break!
Spoiler Thoughts
Listen & judge for yourself here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuWTcmjnEGY
LATE WORK: The fact that a song by The Cure is used, and it isn't "Just Like Heaven." Because seriously, guys. Put that song in more stuff already.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Info & Image Sources!
www.impawards.com/2016/posters/sing_street.jpg
media.vanityfair.com/photos/5702d3b3e709213b17e24845/master/pass/sing-street-clip-jack-reynor.jpg
cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/sing-street-06.jpg
cdn.movieweb.com/img.news/NE3YNiqR7Zvm74_1_1.jpg
i.imgflip.com/pwve6.jpg
i.ytimg.com/vi/C_YqJ_aimkM/maxresdefault.jpg
consequenceofsound.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/sing-street-soundtrack.jpg?quality=80&w=1200