Sing

Year: 2016

Genre: Animated Musical

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth McFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Garth Jennings, Nick Kroll, Beck Bennett, Peter Serafinowicz,

Directed: Christophe Lourdelet, Garth Jennings

Production: Illumination

This premise is way older than you think.

Sing is one of those incredibly obvious ideas, that it’s a wonder no one had thought to do it before. By taking the mold of a “let’s-put-on-a-show” style revue, Sing aptly intermingles two of the most widespread popular culture phenomena cooked up over the last quarter-century: singing competitions and talking furry animals. The whole thing pretty much writes itself. Yet just because the film lives comfortably amid expected clichés, and risks very little in being upbeat, doesn’t mean it’s any less vibrant, sincere and fun.

Hang on, something seems a bit off here...

That sincerity is primarily worn on the sleeve of one Buster Moon (McConaughey), a theater owner whose last few shows have failed to generate any excitement. In a last ditch effort to save his theater from foreclosure, Moon banks everything on a singing competition with a grand prize of $1,000. Due to a printing mishap, a couple of zeros are added on to the prize, peaking the attention of every struggling and wannabe vocal star within city limits. Such talents include an underappreciated housewife of 25 piglets (Witherspoon), a teenage porcupine (Johansson), an ape whose father would rather see his son follow his footsteps (Egerton), an egotistical crooner with a propensity for Rat Pack music (McFarlane) and an elephant with bad stage fright (Kelly).

Much of the movie juggles between the stories of its supporting cast, all of which we only get cliff notes of their foibles. At times it can be a bit jarring; like listening to the radio while someone else if flipping through your favorite channels. Yet when the film finally settles into its groove, the diversity of the cast, and how well they gel together, goes a pretty long way. We get to see them struggle through rehearsal and balance their personal lives with the limelight. Not all of them get along, and as with any stage show, things don’t always go according to plan, forcing them to test their metal. At the center of it all is Moon, the stubborn, foolhardy Koala whose dreams are barely held together by a defiant can-do attitude.

It all pretty much unfolds as you would expect.  The only real surprises to be had don’t come up within the story but rather the audience guessing which character will be flipping the switches most often on the plot mechanics. Since that burden is so evenly divided among the cast, we feel like we’re spending more valuable time with them and get a sense of satisfaction when our favorite character’s circuit is finally closed.

Still, really freakin' annoying!

People will no doubt compare Sing to Zootopia (2016) due to their superficial similarities. I would think a more apt comparison would be Trolls (2016) which, like Sing tried to drown out unpleasantness with unfettered chirpiness. Yet here there’s a little something for everyone. Who you are, and in some cases what you listen to, basically determines which character/s you will most easily identify with. Permeating through all the stories is just enough adversity for characters to understand the stakes. Thus the comforting cheerfulness feels not just natural but earned.

Happy Holidays y'all!

Call it a feeling of magnanimity before the Holiday season but in my humble opinion Sing is just what the doctor ordered. It’s a fun, breezy, goofy little jukebox musical that is pretty much the movie equivalent of comfort food. It may not leave you with a lasting smile but it will give you a smile nonetheless.

Final Grade: C+