Neither happy nor sad...

Rating: 5/10 (5 March 2017)

"Sing Street" premises 14-year-old Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) forming a band and becoming the star of his own bleak reality. Good! Compelling! Why does he start a band? So he can impress the pretty girl hanging out, by herself, on the stairs across his school! Oh. That's the point when I almost lost my just awoken interest. But, as "Sing Street" features one of my favourite actresses, I wanted to give it a try.
It is set in 1980's Ireland: the viewer is thrown into a world of unemployment, Catholicism, racism, and boredom. I enjoyed the stabs at society, although the message would've been clear even with a lesser use of the word "faggot".
Noteworthy are the performances of Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Jack Reynor. Boynton succeeds to deliver cheesy lines believably and with dignity. (Raphina: "Your problem is that you're not happy being sad. But that's what love is, Cosmo. Happy sad." Damn she's like what, 15? I hate when teenagers get BS lines dripping with "profoundness". Yes, "The Fault in Our Stars", I'm rolling my eyes at you). Boynton is able to breathe fresh life into a somewhat cardboard-y, stereotypical character. In this way, her character (Raphina) became the most accessible to me. Maria Doyle Kennedy, who I know and love from Canadian TV series "Orphan Black", portrays the wife who's had it. Although she doesn't get a lot of screen time, her portrayal is convincing and a highlight. Reynor plays the oldest brother: he's definitely got the best lines and makes the viewer root and hope for Brendan. Another plus is the setting. The film depicts beautiful shots of Irish scenery, green and lush. Furthermore, the movie's colour scheme and tone, in their subtlety, provide real candy for the eye. Humdrum yet beautiful.
Unfortunately though I didn't find the story to be very original. A predictable plot without any surprises whatsoever, corny dialogue that made me cringe at times, and a protagonist that I just didn't like made for a not very enjoyable viewing experience. I'm not a fan of dysfunctional family settings used only as a plot device – I'd have wished for more in-depth portrayal of the parents. Moreover, although I understand why Barry's abusive family is introduced, I wish they had cut it out. In its briefness it becomes almost comical. And then – the biggest bully joins the band. Really? Come ooooon.
A character that really annoyed me, besides the protagonist, was the boy with copper hair and braces. Ugh. I wanted to turn down the volume whenever he had some lines. For me, not sympathizing with the main characters of a movie is always problematic. In this case, I couldn't feel with nor root for the major characters (the band) at all, and that's the movie's major fail. Also, I'm just not a fan of teenage love portrayals, and that's perhaps my main issue.
I had hoped for a good soundtrack, at least, but did not overly enjoy the chosen songs either. All in all, the movie was rather a let-down. It didn't accomplish what the premise suggested – to lift me up and make me dream.