Sing Street is 80s Nostalgia at its Best

This week I’ll be reviewing Sing Street, a coming of age comedy-drama about a boy, a girl, and a band. Set in 1985 Dublin, Sing Street introduces us to troubled teen Conor Lawlor. His parents, Robert and Penny, are spending more time fighting each other than paying attention to him. His older brother Brendan is a college dropout who rarely emerges from his room, and his sister Ann ridicules him for wanting to make music. After financial trouble forces his family to put him in a cheaper school, Conor’s life away from home doesn’t fare much better. He finds himself suddenly dropped into Synge Street Christian Boys school, a Catholic all-boys waking nightmare where he is bullied by faculty and fellow students alike. A brief reprieve comes in the form of Ruphina, a mysterious girl who stands on the front steps of the building across from the school every day.

Conor plucks up the courage to approach her and, with some convincing, gets her to agree to appear as a model in a music video for his band. There’s only one problem: Conor doesn’t have a band...yet. Classmate and aspiring entrepreneur Darren agrees to manage Conor and introduces him to multi-instrumentalist and songwriting partner Eamon. An ad on the school bulletin board soon produces a bassist, a drummer, and a black keyboardist to the outfit. After some starts and stops, the ragtag group is graduating from covers of popular 80s bands to original material, with Ruphina serving as Conor’s muse.

Writer-director John Carney folds a lot of big ideas into his tiny story of teenage romance and pursuing one’s dreams, each scene bursting with hilarity, angst, and a whole lot of heart. The film works on multiple levels - as a rallying point for misfits in search of community, as an achingly honest coming-of-age story about the unfairness of being a young adult, and even as a celebration of 80s punk and New Wave sound. But most importantly, it’s just a whole lot of fun to watch. It’s rare to see a film where every member of the ensemble delivers a solid if not star-making performance. There’s plenty to choose from, but top honors have to go to Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Conor and especially Jack Reynor as his caustic-but-affectionate older brother Brendan. Nevertheless, I’m sure all of the newcomers will be appearing in new projects soon enough. If you are one of the many people who may have missed out on it when it was released last year, please do yourself a favor and track it down on Netflix, pronto. A heaping helping of bittersweet nostalgia is waiting for you.