Sing Street wants to be a love story, a coming-of-age story, and a rock-and-roll story all at once. It succeeds mostly on the third count. John Carney directs from his own script, adapting a story he wrote with Simon Carmody, and the result is a warm, funny, occasionally thin musical about a boy who starts a band to win back the girl he likes.
Conor Lalor, played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, is the film’s engine. He’s a 15-year-old Dubliner who writes music to escape his parents’ constant fighting. When his father, Robert, played by Aidan Gillen, announces that Conor will be moved from his private school to Synge Street, a public Christian Brothers school, Conor decides to form a band. The goal is simple: impress Raphina, a 16-year-old aspiring model played by Lucy Boynton, who lives across the street from the school.
Trailer, via Roadshow Films.
The Band Takes Shape
Conor’s first recruit is Darren, a budding entrepreneur played by Ben Carolan. Darren agrees to manage the band and introduces Conor to Eamon, a multi-instrumentalist played by Mark McKenna. The group picks up keyboardist Ngig, drummer Larry and bassist Garry, and names itself Sing Street. They practice in Eamon’s living room, playing covers until Conor’s brother Brendan, played by Jack Reynor, encourages Conor to write his own songs.
Conor describes the band as “futurists.” The songs they write are originals, and the film’s best scenes come when the band performs them. The film’s energy peaks in those moments, when the band’s costumes and the music itself feel genuinely alive.
Conor’s Family Life
Conor’s home life is the film’s other through-line. His parents, Robert and Penny, played by Aidan Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy, fight constantly. Conor’s brother Brendan and sister Ann, played by Jack Reynor and Kelly Thornton, complete the picture of a family falling apart. Conor’s decision to start the band is partly an escape from this chaos.
The film doesn’t linger too long on the domestic tension, which is a strength. It keeps the focus on Conor’s creative drive rather than letting the family drama drag the story down.
The School Setting
Synge Street is the film’s setting, and the school’s strict principal, Brother Baxter, played by Ian Kenny, provides comic friction. Conor is reprimanded for not wearing the mandatory black shoes, though he can’t afford new ones. He paints his brown shoes black, and later faces Baxter again when he shows up to school wearing makeup after filming a music video.
These small details give the film its period flavor. The 1980s Dublin setting is rendered with care, from the streets to the classrooms to the music that fills the air.
The Music Video
The film’s centerpiece is the band’s first music video. It’s filmed in outlandish costumes, with Raphina acting as ingénue and makeup artist. The scene captures the spirit of the whole enterprise: a group of teenagers making something they believe in, even if it looks ridiculous to everyone else.
The video also gives Raphina the nickname “Cosmo,” which she says fits Conor’s new band image better. She tells Conor about her plans to leave for London soon with her older boyfriend, Evan.
Where It Falls Short
The film isn’t perfect. Some of the supporting characters, like Barry the school bully, feel thinly drawn. The romance between Conor and Raphina is sweet but doesn’t quite reach the depth of the band’s musical journey.
The film also leans heavily on its central conceit. Once Conor starts the band, the plot spends a lot of time circling back to the same idea: he plays music to impress her. The pacing slows in the middle stretch, and some viewers may find the story’s momentum flagging.
Key Facts
- Title: Sing Street (2016)
- Director/Writer: John Carney
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Budget: $4 million
- World premiere: Sundance Film Festival, 24 January 2016
- Release dates: Ireland 17 March 2016, US 15 April 2016, UK 20 May 2016
- Box office: $13.6 million worldwide
- Score: 7.9/10
Ranking the Elements
- The music — the band’s songs and the energy they create — is the film’s strongest asset.
- Ferdia Walsh-Peelo’s performance as Conor carries the story with warmth and conviction.
- The 1980s Dublin setting gives the film a distinct visual identity.
- The romantic subplot between Conor and Raphina is pleasant but slight.
- The film’s pacing sags in the middle, slowing the story’s momentum.
Sing Street is a likable, often charming film that knows exactly what it wants to be. It’s at its best when the band is playing, and at its weakest when it drifts back to Conor’s family troubles. The movie’s heart is in the right place, even when its execution wavers.
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