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    Sing Street

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

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    “Sing Street” is a feel-good quasi-musical, the type of picture that fills you with pure delight the way only a hero’s absolute triumph set to a kickin’ tune can. It’s not deep but there are some moments of insight and you’re guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face.

    If you suddenly find yourself in a new school where the students are running wild, the strict teachers apparently have an agenda to ruin your day and your parents’ marriage is falling apart, you’ll need to find a way to cope. When Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) learns that the beautiful and slightly older Raphina (Lucy Boynton, prime girlfriend material) doesn’t go to school because she’s planning on pursuing a modelling career in London, he asks her to be in his band’s music video. She reluctantly accepts on the promise that they're up-and-coming. Now all Conor needs to do is get a band together and it’ll all fall into place, right?

    I love the idea of a teenager going through all of effort of holding auditions, memorizing music, learning to play instruments and coming up with unique songs, just to impress a girl. Pouring that much effort to attract someone who will only pay attention to you because you radically re-invented yourself? Sounds like the kind of bone-headed scheme I would’ve attempted and failed at when I was 16. The film manages to avoid being mean-spirited about this deception by making it obvious that doing something creative is healthy, particularly when you live in 1980’s Ireland, a place with few prospects. The family is struggling with money, life is constantly beating Conor down and if getting together with some mates keeps him out of trouble, why not? He’s a good kid and let’s face it, the pretty girl is pre-emptively and unjustly dismissing him by pretending that dropping out of school, doing up your hair, wearing makeup and hanging out with your seniors makes you too grown-up to pay attention to a 15-year-old. It also helps that once the “Sing Street” band gets together, they show a lot of promise. In fact, they’re bursting with talent in the way that only people in musicals can be.

    There’s a nice balance of many elements and emotions here. There’s the authenticity of writer/director Jon Carney recalling elements from his childhood in Dublin amid the fantasy of putting together a band and quickly becoming skilled musicians. Little moments throughout highlight the best and worst parts of being a teenager in a universal way. Sometimes it gets a little scary (Irish Catholic schools like the one Conor goes to have a big stain on their reputation for a reason) but ultimately, the film is light. “Sing Street” peers through a gold-hearted lens that admits there were bad things happening, but decides to focus on the good instead. I laughed frequently at moments that perfectly capture those stories we all have, those slightly embarrassing escapades you reminisce about with your oldest friends. For the most part, it’s a shameless tribute to John Hughes-like 80’s films about love and friendship, but I found a few moments here and there that stick to reality and elevate it past the level of simple fluff. Key moments where Conor confront a bully do not follow typical clichés for example. There are ups and downs as we witness the pains of living in a family who is struggling emotionally and financially, and the joy that comes from finding ways to turn pain into something productive.

    Initially, I was weary of a film whose trailer focussed heavily on advertising that it contains tunes from “The Cure”, “Duran Duran” and “Motörhead“? This advertising strategy actually winds up playing into what the movie is about. The “Sing Street” kids starts off by playing covers, but they get the novel idea of composing their own music. It lures you in with the familiar, but the original stuff is the real gold. I almost wish the film had contained less original songs so we could have heard "Drive It Like You Stole It" or "Riddle of the Model" 2 or 3 times, but they’re all good so I’ll have to settle for listening my favorites on my own time.

    The characters never spontaneously break into songs, but there’s plenty of good music throughout “Sing Street”. Combine that with instantly charming characters that are well written, some great bits of dialogue, solid comedy and just enough drama to give the film weight without transforming it into schmaltz and you’ll be tapping your feet throughout, sticking around for the credits to get a few more chances to memorize the lyrics. “Sing Street” is a lot of fun, a little Irish picture that made left me grinning from ear to ear. (Theatrical version on the big screen, May 15, 2016)

    8
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    adamwatchesmovies@  17.5.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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