Mr. Movie: Terrific character chemistry, music drive ‘Sing Street’

John Carney’s third musical is Sing Street. His first two — Once and Begin Again — were critical smashes, but didn’t set things on fire at the box office. This one won’t either, but it’s a nice little film.

Carney sets his story in the 1980s and uses a cast of unknowns to tell it.

Cosmo’s troubled parents are broke and send him to an all boys Catholic school. He doesn’t fit in. In an effort to impress Raphina, an older girl living across the street from the school, Cosmo tells her he’s the leader of a band. She says he needs a model in the band’s video. Cosmo doesn’t have a band and no clue how to do a video.

So he begins improvising. A band is formed, a video is shot, then another and another. He also develops a complicated relationship with Raphina, who just happens to be a model.

Music is important to the plot, but Sing Street runs deeper than just a song or two. It’s about a kid finding his place in that confusing universe between youth and adulthood. The most interesting parts of the plot are his connection to an older brother whose advice is gold, and a beautiful young woman traversing the same slippery universe.

Sing Street has music flavored by the era. Like both of Carney’s other music movies, this one is a great mix of music and great acting. Unless unless you’re tone deaf with no sense of humor, this movie will you leaving the theater humming that last song and smiling from ear to ear.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie: Terrific character chemistry, music drive ‘Sing Street’."