MovieChat Forums > Sing Street (2016) Discussion > Quality film but......

Quality film but......

posted 9 years ago by RickVee
11 replies | jump to latest

The thing that prevented it from being great imo was that the songs honestly just weren't particularly memorable. They were lightweight pop songs. And these guys were essentially a teenage garage band. Teenage garage bands are typically much more aggressive musically than that. Their songs were the kind that result after going into the studio with an 80's producer who sweetens up the mix.

That being said I did enjoy the movie. Particularly well done was the love storyline b/w Cosmo and Raphina.

[–] culturedeluxe 9 years ago

The lines between fantasy and reality do seem quite blurred. Only the cover of Rio sounds authentic (and that would likely be the best they'd manage). Everything that follows is highly-produced, often with a 21st century sound. And where does a kid whose family can't afford a phone get a video camera from in 1985?

But, what does it matter? The music isn't the important part of the film.

[–] samuelpeskett 9 years ago

From what I made of it, after the first song when the songs became very much more electronic and sweetened up was because that was the way the songs sounded to the band in their heads. That was them dreaming of when they we're going to make it big, have producers and mix up their songs professionally. Like I said that's just what I got.

[–] nardog 9 years ago

Can't agree more. I don't think the quality of the songs is meant to be taken at face value. That's just how they sound in the kids' heads.

As evident in the last sequence, it's not a film that has an entirely realistic narrative. And I find this so cinematic and beautiful because it allows you to dive into and identify with Conor's experience much more than a film with a completely objective perspective would.

[–] liscarkat-2 8 years ago

"Lightweight pop songs"

What were you expecting? It's a bunch of teenagers doing songs for an audience of other teenagers.

[–] jffphllps86 8 years ago

Totally agree.

The over-produced quality and general pop sound of the songs really betrayed the entire conceit of the movie. I was sold under the pretense that this was about kids making post-punk music in mid-80s Dublin and it *beep* ends w/ Adam Levine singing some mediocre ballad.

[–] rek16803 8 years ago

The over-produced quality and general pop sound of the songs really betrayed the entire conceit of the movie.

Not really. If the entire movie soundtrack was presented to the audience as the quality of a cassette tape recording , audiences would have cringed and it would have taken away from the film's enjoyment. The music sessions start out as it would sound in a live room session, but Seguays into the audio quality for audience's enjoyment.
Would you really want to hear all those songs played as they would be from a single 2 inch speaker cassette payer deck?
seriously? Have you ever heard a cassette tape player playing music before?

[–] jffphllps86 8 years ago

Personally, as a musician, it takes me out of the movie to hear such high quality production come from a bunch of broke kids in the 80s.

Songs don't require hi-fidelity sound to convey their power. Listen to a Joy Division record (which was a supposed influence on the kids but you would never know by the 2000-era pop-punk song they play at the big show) and you'll hear some pretty harsh/simple production but amazing songs.

You can tell the writers were going for big, broad and simple w/ the songs. More akin to a Broadway musical and not the post/punk sound of the era. Which is fine for general audiences, but I was expecting something a little more authentic.

[–] rek16803 8 years ago

Which is fine for general audiences, but I was expecting something a little more authentic.

If you were expecting them to make a film with music soundtrack playing like an old Victrola record, I can see how you were disappointed.

Since the film has gotten rave reviews everywhere, Time Mag top ten films of the year so far, Entertainment Weekly's top 5 films of the year, a standing O at Sundance, a 97 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 4 and 5 star ratings on almost Movie critic's Reviews, I suggest youre one of the very few that was bothered by that.
You may also want to stay away from films like Marvel Comics because a man really can't fly around the earth in a rocket suit, and no one really turns into a green giant and pummels everything in sight. that may take you out of those movies as well.

[–] wooody 8 years ago

I have read the same authentic misgivings by professional musicians in regard to last year's Whiplash. Real life drummers were put off by, in their opinion, the inauthenticity of the film in regard to the music training, drumming in particular. What those posters and the OP above fail to consider is that like Whiplash, the process of creating music, although relevant and important, serves as a backdrop to the real story that is the relationships between Conor and Raphina as well as with his brother, song writing partner and his family.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] pure-conscience 8 years ago

Those songs embodied the 1980's exceptionally well. They didn't need to be that deep. Its not what they were going for. As the film was, it was perfect.

But what do I know. I'm just a girl.