Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Sing Street Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 23, 2016

As children and teenagers of the 80s inch towards and become firmly entrenched in middle age and start making films, it's no surprise that their decade is starting to become more and more prominent in film as a new retro landscape in which to tell their stories. Fresh with nostalgia and budding with personal experience, movies like Ping Pong Summer and Everybody Wants Some!! have dazzled in their loving recreations of a time and place that is now approaching the age of "ancient history," at least considering how fast the world is changing in what is otherwise less than a blink-of-an-eye timeframe in the grand scheme of things. Director John Carney's (Once) Sing Street is the latest, and arguably greatest, of this new wave of 80s time capsule films. Sort of like the Almost Famous for those who call the 80s their formative years, the film captures the interconnected life force of life, love, and music that all revolve around one another as a record, the soundtrack -- the heartbeat -- of life then and, even in today's otherwise seriously different world, now.

The brothers.

Conor Lalor's (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) family is in crisis. His parents (Aiden Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy) are struggling financially and are on the brink of divorce. To save money, they're pulling Conor out of school and sending him to Synge Street CBS, a no-tuition institution. He struggles to fit in. He falls under the principal's (Don Wycherley) scrutiny for failing to wear code-conforming shoes. Outside, one day, he glimpses the beautiful Raphina (Lucy Boynton), a girl older than he whom he learns is a model. He introduces himself and, promising her a prominent spot in his band's newest music video, he lands her phone number. One problem: he doesn't have a band. With the help of his only friend, Darren (Ben Carolan), he cobbles one together, including fellow students Eamon (Mark McKenna) and Ngig (Percy Chamburuka). They're...OK...but not great. They're good enough to keep Raphina close, but the band needs to get better -- much better -- if Conor's going to hold onto her for the long haul. Enter Conor's brother Brendan (Jack Reynor) who knows music inside and out. He doesn't play, he's just an 80s music guru who just understands its cosmic draw and what makes it work. With his help, Conor and his band, dubbed "Sing Street," forge an identity and begin to come together as a band. But will it be enough for Conor to woo and keep the girl of his dreams, a girl who has dreams of her own?

Sing Street fully saturates its audience into the 1980s. The film follows very basic concepts of love and affection, friendship, rebellion, family strain, uncertainty, and escape. Its timeframe is important insofar as it influences the style of music, the dress, even the technology the band uses to make their music and videotape their performances, but beyond the cruder era-specific details is a much more grounded and absorbing coming-of-age story of maturity beyond the moment and love beyond lust. Certainly, though, the music shapes and reflects the movie's story, dramatic rhythm, and soulful arc. Music is the story, literally and metaphorically alike, with lyrics that get to the core of Conor's feelings, just with a pop-happy beat. The movie is, then, at once both a contagiously catchy toe-tapper while at the same time a tender, honest, and wide-eyed look at what it means to grow up, in Conor's case right in front of the audience's eyes, in love, behind the microphone, and as a human being all at the same time.

Music is certainly the movie's lifeblood. Blending classic hits with original songs -- which are strikingly authentic to the era and, frankly, about as good as anything to come from it, particularly up against the real-life hits that play such an important role in the film -- Sing Street's pulse and purpose is shaped by those tunes, by lyrics that mean something, and some catchy beats, too. Arguably, the film's most important character is Brendan, a musical sage, of sorts, who guides his brother through the murky waters of music making and imprints on him not just how to get the girl, but how to live his life. He's a coach and mentor and, in some ways, a father figure who replaces both the overbearing, suffocating principal and the absentee father who isn't missing in physical presence, but certainly in spirit. It's Brendan's advice that drives the story forward and further and it's his encouragement that helps the battle back against his brother's obstacles, elevating Conor from infatuated teen and directionless musician to a rapidly maturing young man in both his music and his soul alike.

Performances and production design astound, too. The film is saturated with an unmistakable authenticity in all its moving parts and static backgrounds and locations alike. It practically smells like its timeframe -- musty records, 80s makeup -- while building on its more universal story and themes. The cast is fantastic. There's not a weak link in the group, not in the band, not the girl, not the adults. Not only does every performer gel and dive head-first into their parts, it's as if Director John Carney found the location of that ever-elusive rewind button and pulled his cast, and his locations and props, straight out of the 80s. It's a brilliant work all around, from the script to the acting, from the direction to the music, the later of which really is absolutely terrific; Sing Street's soundtrack should be in every 80s music fan's collection.

Sing Street Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sing Street's 1080p transfer isn't the sharpest on the block, but it gets the job done. Rather noisy at times and a little unkempt around the edges, definition is nevertheless fine, with more heavily constructed attire revealing satisfyingly intimate attention to detail. General facial textures are adequately revealing, as are some of the rougher locations around the film, like an alley, a seaside walkway, the recreation area outside the school, and even some of the more run-down interiors inside the school. Clarity is decent enough, but the image as a whole just has a little bit of a second-rate look about it, lacking the absolute sharpness and precision viewers have come to expect from flagship digitally shot films granted top-tier transfers on the format. Colors are fairly well saturated, particularly all of the splashier, more vibrant makeup accents. Even the colder locations around the film, where blues and grays tend to dominate, appear nicely defined and authentic. Black levels appear fine and flesh tones never too far from normal. All in all, this is a fairly presentable image, but hardly in the top-tier.

Sing Street Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sing Street performs on Blu-ray via a well-versed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is aggressive, particularly along the front, where clarity and definition soar. Surrounds are engaged, never overbearing but making for a solid, and fluid, supportive element. Both vocal and instrumental definition are first-rate. Minor supportive din around the school yard nicely saturates the stage, while gentler seaside ambient effects flow through with lifelike definition. A few support details ring in, literally, with excellent realism and placement: the school bell is probably the most prominent. Dialogue drives much of the film beyond music. It's perfectly prioritized and situated neatly in the front-center portion of the stage. As with musical lyrics, speech is clear and lifelike.

Sing Street Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sing Street contains three bonus features. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Making Sing Street (1080p, 4:54): A look at core story details, how the movie reflects Writer/Director John Carney's own experiences and the film's role as his personal wish fulfillment, and the music in the film.
• Writer/Director John Carney & Adam Levine Talk Sing Street (1080p, 3:25): Discussions include Carney's ability to mesh movie and music, the film's realistic reproduction of the 80s, and more.
• Cast Auditions (1080p/1080i): Included is John Carney on Casting (1:56), the writer/director discussing the casting process, followed by the audition footage featuring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo - "Conor" (2:32), Lucy Boynton - "Raphina" (2:36), Mark McKenna - "Eamon" (2:41), Ben Carolan - "Darren" (3:04), Ian Kenny - "Barry" (1:12), Percy Chamburuka - "Ngig" (0:40), Karl Rice - "Garry" (2:04), and Conor Hamilton - "Larry" (0:54).

Sing Street Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sing Street is a special, magical film. It's beautifully constructed, practically flawless from script to screen. Moving -- soulfully and toe-tapping both -- and well versed in its place and time, the film will certainly hold a special place in the hearts of those who found, and continue to express themselves through, 80s culture and music. It's also for anyone who has ever fallen in love, felt that spark, and done whatever it takes to keep it ignited. A wonderful film through-and-through. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray is a little skimpy in terms of extra content. Video is fine and audio is strong. Highly recommended, based largely on the strength of the film, one of this year's absolute finest.