Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Sing (2016)



Number Rolled: 92
Movie Name/Year: Sing (2016)
Tagline: Auditions begin Christmas
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Length: 107 minutes
Rating: PG
Production Companies: Dentsu, Fuji Television Network, Illumination Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Producer: Janet Healy, Brett Hoffman, Igor Khait, Christopher Meledandri, Robert Taylor
Director: Christophe Lourdelet, Garth Jennings
Writer: Garth Jennings
Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Garth Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Kroll, Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, Nick Offerman, Leslie Jones, Rhea Perlman, Laraine Newman, Adam Buxton, Brad Morris, Jim Cummings

Blurb from Netflix: An optimistic koala tries to save his theater with a singing contest featuring a timid elephant, a teenage gorilla, an overworked sow, and more.


Selina’s Point of View:
Two music-based movies in one week. That’s always good news in my mind. It’s about time, too. Normally when we have the same genre for both English films in a week it’s horror. Nothing wrong with horror, it’s just nice to have a change.

Sing was pretty much exactly what I thought it would be. It was adorable and had some inspirational messages, but it was mostly predictable. The characters were relatable, but not really special.

The climax of the film, however, was much different than I expected.

I, of course, knew something to happen. That’s just the outline of a plot in general, but I had no clue it would go the route it did. 


What’s impressive is that the left turn didn’t just come out of nowhere. There was plenty of foreshadowing, it was just subtle enough that the result came as a bit of a shock.

I would have had a much lower opinion of the film if the story had taken that route I expected. But with that sharp left at the climax, my enjoyment spiked.

For kids, this movie will be absolutely perfect. There are singing animals and bright colors. Everything is pleasant on the ears and there’s a lot of fun. For adults, there might be some initial boredom, but that will clear up after a while.

All-in-all, I think it’s a decent family movie that won’t make parents hate their lives.


Cat’s Point of View:
This is one of those movies that kept me geeking out through most of it. Why? The answer is simple. It centers on music and singing. It’s been a musical week with our movie selections and that has had me a bit on cloud nine. That’s my jam. No, seriously – music saved my life.

I’m not going to get all maudlin on you or digress into a meandering tangent, I promise. The point is that I identify with this film on a very profound level. Finding my own voice and my journey with music helped me find myself.

There were so many interesting pieces of music featured here – from the funny to the slightly random. When I first watched this in a theater with my daughter, it was an act of sheer will that kept me from singing along. There’s a little bit here for everyone with the musical selections spanning generations.


This is a familiar recipe, but I’d have to say this seems to be the first time an animated movie has put a spin on it, and I didn’t mind. Director, Garth Jennings (The Best of R.E.M.: In View 1988-2003, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Rambow), was certainly hitting all the right notes with his first animated film.

Aside from the fun with the music and the various animals represented, the movie had great heart. You can’t ignore the stellar cast, either.  From up-and-comers such as Taron Egerton (The Smoke, Legend, Eddie the Eagle) to voice-over pros such as Seth MacFarlane (Tooth Fairy, Robot Chicken, Movie 43); each of the animals the film focuses on were portrayed with panache.

I can’t think of a single negative thing to say. I adore the movie and would gladly watch it many times over.


Languages
Speech Available: English
Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 73%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 73%
Metascore - 59/100
Metacritic User Score – 6.1/10
IMDB Score – 7.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating4/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating5/5

P.S.  Dancing squids during half the credits.

Movie Trailer:

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