Sing Street

I'm a huge fan of the movie Once. When I arrived at South By Southwest, and saw that John Carney had directed another movie, I have to say I was a bit skeptical that he could capture the magic of that movie again without the amazing music and raw performances of Glen Hansard.

My fears were unfounded.

SING STREET is a heartfelt, funny and artful coming-of-age movie set in 1985 Dublin. I'm close to an ideal audience member for this film, because I grew up in the 80s myself, a child of the MTV Generation. I count John Hughes' films and the Cameron-Crowe scripted Fast Times At Ridgemont High among the most influential films of my childhood. They are the reason I became a screenwriter, and why I continue to write movies for a teen audience.

Sing Street truly hearkens back to those great teen movies of the 80s. The best stories about teenagers are rooted in pain and isolation, and this is no different - Connor "Cosmo" Lawler comes from an upper middle class family that has fallen on hard times. His parents have constant fights. His older brother Brendan is a college dropout and his sister, the 'smart one,' pretty much keeps to herself. In order for the family to save money, Connor is transferred to the local Catholic boys school, where he's quickly made an outcast and an example by the authoritarian headmaster.

You could say that this is a movie about forming a band. And this genre of story - of artistic awakening - seems to be replayed quite often in British and Irish films like The Commitments, Billy Elliott, The Full Monty, and others. But those movies each had a unique wrinkle, and Sing Street does too. It's the beautifully told story of the way that the inspiration and inception of the best art is rarely an individual act of genius, but rather, the result of a series of interconnected acts of human desire and emotion.

It's the parents who sentence you to a horrible school; the girl who you long for that won't give you the time of day; the other guys who join your band because they're outcasts too... the brother who loves you too much, and is too angry at his own cowardice, to let you settle for less than your best.

There's also a lot of great humor in Sing Street about the fact that you have to try on the styles of your heroes before you find your own confidence. 40-something audiences will definitely get another level of enjoyment out of all the allusions to great 80s bands. The art direction and costumes are done wonderfully in that respect. But I think this movie will work wonderful for today's teenagers as well.

The movie is by turns funny, heart-wrenching, soaring and surprising. And the musical numbers, while not necessarily Oscar winning, like Once, is great. I'm thrilled that a new generation of teenagers will get to experience the release of a movie that's on par with the films I love so much as a kid.

Few (if any) of us were who we wanted to be when we were in high school. While high school girls often think they're not pretty enough or popular enough, boys fear they're not cool enough or tough enough. Of course, these are only a few of the characteristics that teens in high school – both boys and girls believe they lack. The point is, during adolescence, all kids think that they're not "enough"… of something. Well, I say "enough already" – and so does Irish writer-director John Carney, through his music-oriented comedy-drama "Sing Street" (PG-13, 1:46). This is a film that shows us it's okay to be insecure and sad sometimes, but you can also learn to be happy during those times and even to rise above them. "Happy-Sad" the film calls it. I call the film insightful, encouraging and entertaining.

Conor Lalor (Ferdia Walsh Peelo) is, in many ways, a typical 15-year-old. He goes to school, where he has both friends and enemies. He has family members who love him, but also add challenges to his life. And, of course, he wants to earn the affections of someone special who has caught his eye. The details of the framework of Conor's life may differ from yours (as well as his gender, interests, location and even time period), but he should be easy to relate to – for anyone who attended (or is now attending) high school.

As for Conor, he lives in Dublin, Ireland in 1985. He has a brother (six years older) named Brendan (Jack Raynor), who is out of school but still lives at home, and a younger sister named Ann (Kelly Thornton). Their parents (Aidan Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy) argue – loudly – about money, their kids, their marriage, etc. Conor has the experience of changing schools, starting at Synge Street Christian Brothers School, where, as the new kid, he quickly runs afoul of the principal (Don Wycherly) and the school bully (Ian Kelly). However, Conor soon makes a friend named Darren (Ben Carolan) and is quite taken by a mysterious girl named Raphina (Lucy Boynton) who lives across the street from the school.

As a way of getting to know Raphina, Conor asks her to be in a music video for his band. She agrees, so now all Conor has to do is… start a band! He gets Darren to be the band's manager – slash – music video producer. Darren introduces Conor to Eamon (Mark McKenna), who is skilled at a variety of instruments. After the guys recruit from among their school mates, adding friends Larry (Conor Hamilton) and Gary (Karl Rice), along with Ngig (Percy Chamburuka), the only black kid at Synge Street CBS, they choose "Sing Street" as the name of their band, and start working on their band's musical and visual identity.

Heavily influenced by early-mid 1980s acts like The Cure, Joe Jackson and Hall & Oates (whose songs appear in the soundtrack), Sing Street works up a cover of Duran Duran's "Rio" and then Conor and Eamon start writing original songs together. Brendan makes use of his misspent youth to school his younger brother in the finer points of modern music and encourages Conor to stretch musically. Soon, Raphina becomes Conor's muse and a regular in Sing Street's videos. Raphina and Conor also grow closer, in spite of her "it's complicated" relationship status and her plan to move to London to model.

"Sing Street" features a whole lot of talent – on both sides of the camera – and the microphone. Carney's direction and his script are sensitive, engaging and fun. The story has a lot going on, but still keeps things simple, and derives its entertainment value from a variety of sources. The drama comes from following the development of the band, the relationship between Conor and Raphina, the relationships within Conor's house and Conor's problems at school. The comedy comes from the behavior of the film's colorful characters and the natural awkwardness of teenagers discovering life.

Carney says the film is "wish fulfillment of all of the things I wanted when I was the age of the character and didn't do." To portray a fictionalized version of his own adolescence, he cast unknown, but talented actors – with terrific results. Raynor creates an interesting and passionate character, who is dealing with the fear that life is passing him by. For their part, Walsh-Peelo and McKenna, besides being fine young actors, are talented musicians in real life – all the better to perform the film's excellent original songs.

As the main character, Conor's struggles are relatable, his dreams are understandable and his story is enjoyable. The film isn't completely original or realistic, but it's very effective as a representation of the trials, tribulations and potential triumphs of the teenage years, and offers hope as to what could lie ahead – for those who make the most of those years – and the lessons they produce. "You can never do anything by half," is one character's heart-felt proclamation. "Sing Street" continually speaks to the heart – through its comedy, its drama and its wonderful music – and doesn't do it by half. "A-"

There's nothing quite like the creative process. We've all had that feeling; unfolding with all its frenzied excitement, malleable thoughts and brainstorms and inventive problem-solving. Yet creativity isn't just limited to what music you make, what stories you write, what paintings you paint. Flexing the limits of your creativity is almost like a window into your identity. Do you look for the easy fix, do you power through despite mental blocks, do you try the unexpected or bend towards an originality or an universality. So it goes with Sing Street, a movie that expands the notion of creativity itself, making an unabashedly and irresistibly charming film.

Conor Lalor (Walsh-Peelo) and his family live in a charmed dwelling overlooking the urban sprawl of South side Dublin. Due to financial strain, Conor is informed that he's being taken out of his private Jesuit high school and being transferred to a public school nearby. At first, things go miserably. He's hassled by bullies, called names openly in class and harangued by the school's principal Father Baxter (Wycherley). His only solace is watching new wave music videos with his older brother Brendan (Reynor). Things change however with the appearance of the mysterious and strikingly beautiful Raphina (Boynton) who stands on the stoop outside the school. He approaches her and asks her to be in a music video; she agrees. Next step: start a band.

Conor quickly makes friends with a gaggle of outcasts from the school in order to haphazardly start, build and maintain a fledgling little group. Among them is the multi-talented Eamon (McKenna) who can not only play multiple instruments but can put Conor's lyrics to song. It is the moments between these two young artists that best exemplifies the movie's central theme. We share with them the 4am feeling of unbounded imaginative bliss as they riff off each other, clean up their chords and rhythms and ask each other the meaning behind the songs they write. Because of Eamon's father's vocation as a covers band leader, the band not only has a place to practice but instruments to play which benefits the rest of the players as they develop their sound.

Conor uses his band not only for the purpose of wooing the girl but also as a means to escape his increasingly turbulent home life. The marriage between his mother (Doyle Kennedy) and father (Gillen) circles the drain as his dropout brother smokes hash and oozes cynicism and unrealized potential. In one moment of investigation, Brendan points to the mother who sits on the stoop, smoking a cigarette, hoping to catch the last rays of sunshine of the day. With big talk of some day going to Paris, the mother settles on these moments to sulk in bitter reflection. "I cleared a path for you." Brendan says in a moment of defeat. Seems his carefully curated collection of vinyl and his grimacing observations serve as a counterpoint to encourage Conor's brazen dreams.

Yet it's the girl who pushes Conor to the point of unique creative verisimilitude. And as the would-be model that captures the heart of our young hero, Lucy Boynton is an absolute vision. She coyly hints at gigs and glamour in London yet she lives at an all girls boarding house and dates a guy who listens to Genesis. Yet despite outward moments of confident sashaying, behind the makeup and denim there beats the heart of a true romantic and a true creative conduit. "When it comes to art, you never go halfway." she says just after she throws herself into the Irish Sea for the sake of a good video. This moment is immediately followed by Conor responding in kind.

And yes this movie is about a new wave band in the 1980's, so yes there is a lot of hair, makeup, posh scarf wearing and mod style bravado. While today we like to take potshots at the synth-pop aesthetic, there's still something utterly charming about the way it is presented here. Is it nostalgia; probably. Yet there's an unawareness to it, allowing the audience to discover (or re-discover) the trappings of 80's popular music in real time. The excitement Brendan and Conor feel in watching Duran Duran's Rio music video is infectious, and the original songs by the band are easily the best thing about Sing Street.

Conor eventually finds a since of identity within the catchy rhythms of his songs, the jejune charms of Raphina and the kindliness of Brendan's brotherly love. The moments of kitchen sink realism serves not only as a cautionary tale to Conor but to us as well. When we refuse ourselves the rewards of creativity we risk becoming embittered, angry and resentful. In the words of Kurt Vonnegut, "Go into the arts. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow." To put it another way, go create something.

A beautifully balanced, sensibly narrated & splendidly performed indie covering the highs & lows of teenage life while demonstrating the magic of creating music with all the romance of the art in tact Sing Street is a heartfelt ode to the carefree, joyous days of growing up and with its subtle touch of melancholy & hummable soundtrack, delivers an experience that's delightfully captivating.

Set in Dublin, Ireland during the 1980s, Sing Street tells the story of a young kid who is looking for an escape from all his troubles at home where his family is on the verge of falling apart, and at his new school where students & teachers are quite rough. His window of opportunity arrives when, in an attempt to impress a girl, he invites her to star in his band's music videos despite not being a part of one.

Written & directed by John Carney, the movie packs just the right amount of heart, fun, nostalgia, heartaches & optimism and also benefits from the interesting set of characters the writer-director brings to life. The events progress in smooth, effective manner from start to finish while the songs are expertly placed at just the right moments to exquisitely capture the underlying context of the emotions on surface.

Production design team does well to nicely capture the period details of the timeline its plot is set in. Cinematography encapsulates the entire feature with an overcast ambiance with warm & cold colours utilised as per the scene requirements. Editing provides a steady pace to its 105 minutes narrative with each scene only taking the story forward while songs are composed from scratch and have an infectious quality to them.

Coming to the performances, Sing Street features a relatively unknown but incredibly committed cast in Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Mark McKenna, Jack Raynor, Aidan Gillen & Maria Doyle Kennedy and everyone does an excellent job with what they are given. Walsh-Peelo in particular is a standout and shares brilliant chemistry with both Boynton & McKenna while Raynor pretty much steals the show in every scene he appears in.

On an overall scale, Sing Street is the feel-good movie of the year that's euphonic in both happy & sad moments and manages to incorporate a mix of both with amazing comfort. A healthy dose of entertainment that treads the fine line between wishful fantasy & cold reality that promises plenty of laughs & hints of tears, this bittersweet coming-of-age musical comedy hits the right chords at the right time throughout its runtime and is one of the best films of 2016. Definitely recommended.

Ah, the joy and pain of first love! Young Conor (aka Cosmo, played in his impressive debut by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) has the smelly end of a shitty stick to deal with while growing up in 1980's Dublin. He has warring parents with the need – for financial reasons - to move Conor from his posh school to 'Singe Street' Catholic school: a decidedly rougher and tougher place, ruled over with a rod of iron by Brother Baxter (Don Wycherley). This is a place of chaos and mayhem, ruled over by bullies of the likes of Barry (a superbly intimidating Ian Kenny).

The 15 year old Conor tries punching above his weight with the lovely 16 year old Raphina (Lucy Boynton) – a struggling wannabe model with "mysterious eyes" who hangs around outside the Woman's Refuge opposite the school. To get her number, he claims to head up a band and to need her help with the band's video. One small problem: there is no band and Conor has limited musical ability! He gathers around him a motley crew of friends, and with the help of his stoner brother (Jack Raynor) and his extensive vinyl collection, goes about creating a band to gain fame and fortune (or at least the girl).

This is a film that works on so many levels. As a piece of nostalgia for us older folks, the sights and sounds of the 80's are brought vividly back to life, with a rocking soundtrack of the likes of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet to enjoy. And as a coming of age movie, the long lingering looks, embarrassment and discomfort of first-dating is both touching and painful to watch, with the best Rich-Tea fuelled snog ever put on screen! Few films in fact have come this close to depicting this glorious ineptitude since John Gordon Sinclair and Dee Hepburn struggled to get together in Bill Forsyth's "Gregory's Girl" (making me feel ancient, this was actually set in 1981!).

It should be noted that at one point the film also models the casual racism prevalent at the time, with perhaps only the addition of a rebuking "You can't say things like that" striking a less realistic note.

This is a film where nearly everyone is damaged in one way or another – drugs; hopeless ambition; child abuse; paedophilia, alcoholism; bullying; (the list goes on). However, the hugely intelligent script by writer and director John Carney drips the issues out in such tiny insinuations and snippets of conversation that it feels lifelike: not as if the film-maker is beating you over the head with it. This is just a poor Dublin life in the 80's: get on with it.

All of this might make you think this is a hugely depressing, kitchen-sink type of drama that will leave you, at the end of the evening, in dire need of a box-set of "Father Ted" to cheer you up. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the same way as the music in Alan Parker's 1991 Dublin-set classic "The Commitments" - and indeed 2013's excellent Belfast-based "Good Vibrations" - lifted the spirits, so the drive and energy of the soundtrack makes the film a hugely uplifting experience. Besides the classic 80's stuff there are some really great original songs (co-written by the multi- talented John Carney, with Gary Clark): I was still humming "Drive It Like You Stole It" in the car park.

The young cast throw themselves into the job with great energy, with Walsh-Peelo and Boynton delivering touching and impressive performances and Mark McKenna particularly worthy of note channeling a young John Lennon. My top acting accolade though goes to Jack Raynor (who was until recently rumoured to be in the running for the role of the young Han Solo: a role that's now just gone to "Hail Caesar's" Alden Ehrenreich). Playing Conor's older and wiser brother, his frustration at his role in life boils over in a vinyl- smashing and hugely impressive rant that I would like to see credited with a Best Supporting Actor award. And amid all of the teenage love and band efforts, it is this aspect of brotherly love that eventually shines out as the beating heart of the film.

The film is a little rough at the edges – a dream sequence looks like it could have had a few more dollars thrown at it - but this often adds to the charm. John Carney seems to have quite an Indie following, but I'm not familiar with his other work. This film left me wanting to dig into his archives. It left my wife gushing with tears from beginning to end! A must see film.

(I loved it - did you? Please visit http://bob-the-movie-man.com for the graphical version of this review and to provide any feedback in the comments section.)