For the full Movie Bears Podcast review of ‘Sing Street,’ check out the video below. Or read on for our mini-review!

If you lived through the 80’s and are in the mood for a nostalgic trip down a music-fueled rabbit hole, run, run, as fast as you can to see ‘Sing Street,’ man. Written/directed by John Carney and starring Aiden Gillan (Littlefinger from ‘Game of Thrones’), ‘Sing Street’ offers up a fun romp through 1980’s Ireland, where high school kid Eamon (Mark McKenna) starts a band (also named Sing Street) to get the attention of the girl he simply can’t live without (Lucy Boyton).

On the surface, it sounds like there’s nothing new here to enjoy. How many times have we seen the story of boy meets girl, boy starts band, boy-in-band wins girl? Not that we’re saying that’s how ‘Sing Street’ ends – spoilers, sweetie! – but, as a concept, it’s been done so many times before. However, the film’s mixture of earnest hearts, period Ireland, and original songs that sound like 80’s hits you somehow missed make ‘Sing Street’ one of the best films of 2016.

And let’s talk about that music for a second. In listening to phenomenal new Sing Street-performed songs like “Riddle of the Model,” “Up,” and “Drive It Like You Stole It,” it’s easy to hear the influence of amazing bands like The Cure, A-Ha, Duran Duran, and Hall & Oates. It’s as if these bands had a four-way and Sing Street came along 9 months later, rocking right out of the womb. But it doesn’t stop there – hit tracks from these bands and more infuse this soundtrack as well, making it perhaps THE best movie album to come out in recent years (sorry ‘Everybody Wants Some,’ you didn’t quite get there).

Heartfelt performances really take this movie to the next level, however. Getting the girl isn’t really what this film’s about: more so, it’s the struggle to beat to your own drum and discover the confidence and power that come with finding yourself. It’s a message many of us can relate to and – perhaps – still struggle with even today. We really can’t recommend ‘Sing Street’ enough so get out there and check it out for yourself!

Written by Brad Harris, Movie Bears Podcast