Sing Street review: John Carney heads to the mid-80s for his latest music inspired tale.
Sing Street review
Ireland sure do love their music. From their Bonos to their Westlifes and their serious contendership in the Eurovision song contest. They may have not qualified for this year’s camp Euro festivities that us in the UK may vote ourselves out of next year come June, but Ireland have a much more successful musical offering hitting cinemas. John Carney completes his trilogy of music inspired films, following the acclaimed Once, and Begin Again. Once has transferred into a hit musical, although I was never a big fan of it to begin with. It was good, but I couldn’t hum any of the song’s, and felt it was a bit dry in places.
Sing Street feels both nostalgic and fresh at the same time, hitting us with healthy dollops of bittersweet humour and touching coming of age drama. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo is Conor, a young Catholic schoolboy in Ireland who has just been ripped out of private education to face the wrath of a public school. Failing to fit in due to his brown shoes and polite way of talking, Conar goes all out by flirting with a girl who lives across the road from the school, Raphina (Lucy Boynton). He tries to impress her by telling her he is in a band, a band he must quickly assemble. Surprisingly enough he does so, but still needs to take on a musical education from his drop-out brother Brendon (Jack Reynor).
Sing Street review
Carney overcomes the first hurdle of any fictional band movie, and that’s to make sure that the songs are great. Actually, the songs are perhaps a little too good, as the film is set in 1985 and references real bands, we must assume this band didn’t make it. Judging by their songs they really should have. The structure of the film sees Conor undergo many transformations as his brother introduces him to the likes of Duran Duran, The Cure, and Spandau Ballet. Each time Conor and Eamon (Mark McKenna), a musical talent and lover of rabbits, create a song based on that band’s style while still feeling distinctive. They are all catchy but also adorned with roughness that suggest amateur highschoolers are behind the beats.
The humour presents itself nicely throughout, thanks to the layered script that delves into identity of not only the protagonist Conor, but also of Ireland as a whole as we hear about many people emigrating and chasing their dreams. Conor has no real identity to begin with, and though he sets up a band for a fairly shallow reason, he soon discovers himself and his true confidence. It’s a treat to see him grow with the music and Walsh-Peelo executes every identity switch and growth in confidence with both charm and vulnerability. Boynton is also a bit of a breakout star here, capitalising on some adorable chemistry with Walsh-Peelo while also plotting her own arc as a vulnerable but ambitious teenage model.
Sing Street review
Coming just a week after Richard Linklater’s amazing Everybody Wants Some, Sing Street is yet another coming-of-age comedy that focuses on boys becoming men, although this one is slightly sweeter for anybody who doesn’t want some sex obsessed teenagers. From heartbreaking fantasy sequences to quick wit and memorable songs, the only real negative is that the rest of the band are introduced strong, but soon become background filler. It’s a shame given the brief moments of friendship we are privy to, but Carney clearly has his focus set on the romance and family side of Conor’s progression. An excellent little film that will no doubt be making it to the stage as a musical within the next 5 years.
Sing Street review by Luke Ryan Baldock, May 2016
Sing Street is released on 20th May.
