Irish director John Carney can’t seem to get enough of musicals. After the Oscar-winning Once (2007) and Oscar-nominated Begin Again (2013), he is once again telling a story filled with melody, drama and a bit more comedy. The result is Sing Street and on first impression it may land a song nomination too, just as those other films have.
In a nutshell, this is a completely charming coming-of-age tale. Not that it is overly polished or slick. In fact, it has a smaller, grittier and for the most part more genuine feel. Starring a cast of young unknowns, the filmmaker has managed to corral great performances and earn plenty of laughs along the way. New Wave music fans will find themselves in for a treat.
The story is set in Dublin in 1985. For good-natured teen and music enthusiast Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), times are tough. The economy is failing, his parents fight incessantly and his easygoing brother Brendan (Jack Reynor) has dropped out of university. In order to save money, Conor’s folks send him to an inner-city school, where he must deal with a punishing headmaster and abuse from a school bully. However, things change after he meets Raphina (Lucy Boynton), an older teen who hangs out across the street from school. In an attempt to impress her, he starts a band with random acquaintances.
Brother Brendan schools Conor in music and how to express himself with lyrics. He gives Conor LPs, and as the boy’s writing progresses each new piece offers a different influence from an 80s band. There are some catchy tunes that fit well within the story’s musical era. And of course, seeing the inner-city 14 year-olds awkwardly attempt to emulate new wave acts and create their own videos is endlessly entertaining.
It’s a really fun method to tell a story about a kid finding his creative voice and experimenting along the way in order to do so. This also includes fashion. And as Conor attempts to find himself, he adopts the hair and clothing of bands like Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and The Cure from week to week. It’s never played out in a big or over-the-top manner, earning chuckles with low-key gags.
Of course, his cohorts are equally amusing, often surprised and embarrassed by what they’re doing – especially early on when they’re filming promo spots. They take verbal cracks from those around them when they aren’t mocking themselves. And the kids possess several entertaining quirks themselves. This includes the band’s stone-faced melody-writer Eamon (Mark McKenna), who is as enamored with his rabbits as he is with music.
The dialogue is sharp and consistently hilarious, referencing the bands of the day in a natural way. One particularly witty example comes when Brendan questions his young brother about his muse, Raphina. When Conor mentions that she has a much older boyfriend, the older sibling observes that because her current beau is a fan of Genesis, he shouldn’t be much of a problem.
This isn’t as bittersweet an effort as the filmmaker’s other titles. However, there are serious moments that have a strong impact, possibly because the musical scenes are so jubilant. Admittedly, towards the finale the story begins to focus more and more on Conor attempting to develop a relationship with Raphina. It’s all well-handled, but it is the most predictable aspect of the story.
As the poet Emerson once said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” I’m going to use that comment to rationalize the finale. Even if it eventually becomes transparent about where it’s going and ties things up a too cleanly in the final act, getting there is an absolute blast. Sing Street is about as sweet and charismatic a film as I can recall seeing in some time. If you enjoy 80s music, you’re sure to get a kick out of these sounds.