SING STREET Review

REAL PRODUCTION VALUE

Sing Street

A Review By Ben Hunter

5 Out Of 5 Stars

GET TO THE POINT BEN!!

More evidence that the stories that can truly touch our hearts can be the smaller more intricate of tales that find their production value in the integrity and heart of a well told story!

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“She’s standing on the corner
Like an angel in disguise
When I look a little closer
She’s got dangerous eyes!

She tells me she’s a model
With and international reputation
Sliding in a bottle
For some stipulation  

She’s so indecipherable
She holds the key to the missing gold
Just the thought of her
Touch. My. Mind. Ex. Plodes! 
So desirable
Time never will unfold 
oh.  Oh.  OH!    

THE RIDDLE OF THE MODEL!”

The girl, it’s always about the girl.  We fight for her, we fight with her, we fight because of her, because we love her.  Why?  Well because we expect HIM to fight for US, to fight with us, and to fight because of us, because things wouldn’t feel right any other way.  

So, Conor Lalor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), one day in Dublin Ireland circa 1985, sees a girl, just standing there, just beautiful as ever, just waiting it seems, just waiting for something.  He figures she must be waiting, at this time when school (Synge Street) lets out.  So he musters up all of the courage his geeky, nerdy, body can muster, and with all the sincerity of his being, they speak.  After this conversation, a band is real, live and in living color.  So Conor must form this band and put this girl, or this model, in his band’s new music video.  A band that later calls itself, “Sing Street”.  

The excitement of what will be when you first meet someone! 

Writer/Director John Carney (Once, Begin Again) flexes his musical abilities and relives his high school days by doing everything he wanted to do at that time as a nerdy teenager in the 80’s, eager to be a rock star to impress the girl by delivering his latest indie jewel.  With his original music comprising a catchy soundtrack that survives the standards and attention spans of today, Sing Street eloquently captures the narrative of a boy winning over the heart of a girl while dealing with the remonstrance of being a teen.  

With his parents going through a divorce, Conor leans on the guidance of his older brother on how to utilize his music to develop the skills he needs to be a better musician all in the hopes of impressing the girl, Raphia (Lucy Boynton).  Conor and his band take flight in school, bringing together enemies as friends and supervisors as admirers as music brings them all closer together.  

I loved how the writing perfectly paced the narrative Carney was going for here.  As a kid I would’ve feel blindly in love for all the possibilities that this ending established in our minds.  Even though I know the realistic version of what likely would’ve taken place, my point is Carney’s proper inauguration of the story selects the open, public area for everyone to agree on, purchases the cannon with no headaches from the parties involved, and relays the details necessary for us to sufficiently fire said cannon safely into the air, knowing it’ll land safely, even though our focus is on all the events leading up to launch.  The events leading up to how it all will end has the comfortable clarity that’s needed.  

Sing Street is definitely one of the year’s best and more evidence that the stories that can truly touch our hearts can be the smaller more intricate of tales that find their production value in the integrity and heart of a well told story.  I definitely liked it slightly more than the last one from this director as his work is now on my immediate radar!  

Be sure to check this one out!  

Sing Street (2016)

Comedy/Musical, 106 Minutes, PG-13

Written & Directed by: John Carney
Cast: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Mark McKenna, Aiden Gillen

"The Riddle of the Model" - Sing Street