Directed by Christophe Lourdelet, Garth Jennings
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane
Buster Moon’s (Matthew McConaughey) dream of being an impresario has seen better days. Desperate to save his theater, he offers a cash prize in the hopes to promote excitement in his talent competition. From all over the city, a ragged collection of singers, dancers, and musicians gather for the competition. Each is desperate for the prize, each have their own hopes and dreams. What none of them know, is due to an unfortunate set of circumstances Moon doesn’t have the $100,000 promised for the winner.
All the stock characters are here; the bored housewife, the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, the shy talent, the “rat pack” wannabe, the indie-rock girl, the failing manager with a dream (and a whole lot more). Every cliché you would expect from a film about a talent quest is there.
So why does Sing work? More than that, it actually works well. Why?
In truth, that’s a bit of a mystery. It just manages to strike the right balance of elements, to keep all of its balls up in the air, and to bring things home at the right time to produce a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. With all these various stories going on, it would be easy for Sing to loose track of characters, and short their arc. It never really does this. In juggling between the various tales, the film gains some momentum. It never lingers in one place for too long for audiences to get bored, and manages to bring everything home for a very effective finale with the great talent show.
In short, it manages to stick the landing.
Boy, does it!
Here that juggling, and that little bit of character development pays off. The audience is invested in the final, and Sing manages to deliver on all fronts. That might be the secret of Sing, it might be a little hackneyed, but it uses that to its advantage and delivers good old fashioned entertainment.
There is also a genuine love for show business that is expressed here, more than just soulless entertainment. In hearkening back to those bygone days of the stages dominance, it manages to tap into that magic of sentimental nostalgia.
A big jukebox musical, that manages to deliver family entertainment. Backed up by a top notch voice cast and some occasionally jaw-dropping animation, Sing manages to hit all the right notes.
DAVID O’CONNELL
