There comes a time where a teenager decides to finally let his balls drop, and it’s always to impress the girl. For Conor “Cosmo” Lalor, it was just that. And for a kid raised on the what-ifs of musical aspirations from his hash-smoking brother, his mind remains focused on the dream. A dream landscaped by the music of the 80s and a girl who perfectly embodies the image of his sound and the maturity of it.
The film is uninspired with the intentions overlying the many quirks and details surrounding this typical “trying to get the girl” story. It takes different turns that leave you in awe with the music and the characters. John Carney’s most interesting take comes in the form of displaying maturity of Conor. He uses the band’s music and Conor’s appearance to display how he would react to certain situations. From the darker style of The Jam to the smooth and cool style of Duran, Duran, the music and cinematography is heavily inspired and stunning. It comes off subtle with Conor showing signs of mature understanding, as well as musical progression. It also contains a lot of great energy as these teenagers also experience life around them.
The performances are great all around and Jack Raynor for sure makes up for that train wreck that was Transformers 4. And John Carney keeps the consistency in his competent abilities as a director. Carney has shown it before in his two previous films Once and Begin Again, which benefited greatly from his humanistic direction that correlates with the consistent charm in the characters.
As it hurdles over slight used clichés, Sing Street pops out as more than a piece of art, but instead it rings in a story that’s honest and true. The film spews optimism throughout. Even when the film turns nigh, it comes back in a complete 180, delivering the story we knew about since Conor met Raphina. It’s got heart and that’s more important then a “by the numbers” film because the warmth spreads to you and makes it much more important to invest in these wonderful characters. It’s enough to make this grown man tear with joy.
In certain scenes, John Carney switches the film’s digital scope with a videocassette camcorder for representative visual style and again vice versa so you’re not stuck in a nostalgia trip of watching old cassette tapes. The cinematography leaves you in awe of Ireland’s dirty streets but as well as the graceful life. It takes place in the slums of Ireland and moves around giving the audience a beautiful scope of the country. The music also plays as a soundtrack for the life being represented in this movie.
It’s a perfect movie that could easily attract almost any audience who love film because it carries a lot of heart and has a stellar soundtrack.
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