Sing Street - Film Review

Oh, man. I really wanted to like this movie. I mean, really really. I adore John Carney’s feature debut Once and was hoping to find some of that magic rekindled here. But despite strong performances from its relatively inexperienced cast and a top-notch soundtrack, Sing Street’s scattershot plot and unfocused characterizations keep it from truly singing. (See what I did there? Do you hate me for it? I hate me for it)

It’s 1985. The Cure has just released ‘The Head on the Door’ and Back to the Future is captivating movie audiences worldwide. In Dublin, Ireland, a 15-year-old lad named Conor has just been informed by his parents that they can’t afford his ‘fancy’ upper class education and will be transferring him to a free state-school.

The shift is understandably jarring – the place is a zoo. Fights break out on the regular and teachers pay little mind to the chaos in the classrooms. Conor is tormented not only by his classmates, but by the school’s strict principal (Don Wycherley), who calls Conor out on his first day for not wearing black shoes. When Conor argues that his brown shoes are ‘really quite sensible,’ the principal forces him to spend the rest of the day shoeless.

Conor is befriended by Darren, another social outcast (gingers never can catch a break). In an attempt to impress Darren, Conor asks Raphina, the aspiring model who lives across the street from the school, to be in a music video for his band. She agrees, but there’s just one problem: Conor doesn’t have a band. He and Darren set off to recruit musicians for their new ‘band’ Sing Street, so Conor can woo Raphina, win the respect of his classmates and discover who he truly is.

There are elements of Sing Street I really enjoyed. As I mentioned earlier, the soundtrack is outstanding (I’m listening to it right this VERY SECOND, no matter when you might be reading this review), and I loved all the scenes that involved the band getting together and making music/movies. It’s slightly unbelievable that a group of such young kids would be quite this good at making catchy pop songs, but the performances are so fun and spirited, it’s easy to suspend your disbelief. (Carney co-wrote the original compositions with Gary Clark) I was also thoroughly entertained by Conor’s discovery of new bands and how he'd adapt his musical and fashion stylings accordingly.

While Carney’s direction is solid and he does a great job capturing the look/feel of the era, his script is a scattered mishmash of ideas and themes that never coalesces into a satisfying whole. He takes on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to growing up in 1980s Dublin, dealing with abusive authority figures, coping with your parents’ crumbling marriage, not letting your dreams get away from you, etc., but never strikes the right balance between them. Intriguing subplots are left under-developed or completely unexamined and the most interesting plotline – the formation/development of the band – takes a backseat to the more hackneyed one - the romance between Conor and Raphina, which never fully transcends its young-adult trappings.

This is by no means the fault of the young actors, who are all excellent. As Conor, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo is very appealing. He nails the quietly cocky, slightly awkward demeanor of the character perfectly, and does a great job in the film’s more emotional moments. Likewise, Lucy Boynton is beautiful and elusive as Raphina, the star of Sing Street’s music videos and the object of Conor’s affections.

The additional bandmates are great too with Mark McKenna being the standout as Eamon, a musical prodigy who can play practically any instrument. It’s just such a shame we don’t get to spend more time getting to know them, as the musical aspects are the film's strongest moments by far.

And maybe that’s the biggest problem with Sing Street: the whole thing feels like Carney was so concerned with finding the perfect musical cue, he forgot to develop a fully realized story or characters. In that regard, the film is a lot like its main protagonist, constantly shedding one identity for another without ever really finding itself. If that was Carney’s intention, more power to him. It just doesn’t make for very good storytelling.

Here's hoping this one grows on me. In the meantime, I’m going to go listen to ‘Drive It Like You Stole It’ for the umpteenth time.

FINAL RATING: 3/5