Sing 2
Sing 2
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Bono
Directed by Garth Jennings
Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a koala who runs the small Moon theater, is enjoying putting on shows for the community and featuring his cast: pig Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton), dancing pig Gunter (Nick Kroll), and Indian elephant Meena (Tori Kelly), but he longs for something more. When a big city recruiter sits in on their show, he thinks this will be their big break - but she leaves halfway through saying it isn't good enough for the big leagues. Undeterred, Buster and the gang - along with porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson), head to the big city in hopes of scoring a show with the legendary media mogul Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale). Even though they're buzzed off the stage right away, they make mention of famed reclusive rock star legend Clay Calloway (Bono), and Crystal agrees to fund their show if they can bring Calloway in.
As Buster and Ash head to Calloway's home to convince him to come out of retirement after the death of his wife, the remaining members of the group deal with their own shortcomings: Rosita is terrified of heights but she has to take a leap for the production. Johnny is intimidated by the strict dancing coach until he gets help by street dancer Nooshy (Letitia Wright). Meena is shy and nervous about doing her first kissing scene. All of this is set against the threatening backdrop of Crystal, who promises to throw Buster off the roof if he can't get Calloway to commit - something, for Buster, is easier said than done.
"Sing 2" is one of those mindless films that is best enjoyed by children in the comfort of their own homes, while the parents can praddle off do more important things, like clip toenails or watch their new kitchen paint dry. The kids will be entertained because there's a lot of fun colors, unique characters, and catchy songs that they can dance to while you enjoy your time, but maybe I'm being a bit too sarcastic. Even though it's mindless, it was still enjoyable at the moment, and dare I say it was a little bit of fun? Just a little. Not a lot. But still enough. But not enough to justify an almost two-hour runtime, especially for a kid's movie. It's got great messages for adults and kids to learn: tenacity, overcoming your fears, learning something new, stepping out of your comfort zone, and controlling your past hurts. Too bad each of these messages were hampered with countless songs (some of which surprised me, like Cardi B.'s one song that was edited in the movie since it has literal curse words in it...wow I'm starting to sound like an old fart) and a cyclical story that recycled itself every five minutes or so.
Buster Moon, voiced by an almost indistinguishable Matthew McConaughey, showcases tenacity by not taking no for an answer (which is perfectly appropriate for chasing your dreams, but perfectly inappropriate when chasing your dream crush who wants nothing to do with you), and by believing in himself and his team to achieve the impossible. Sure, he comes across as an annoying runt who's constantly irritating, but he gets to see his dream come to fruition (if you think this is a spoiler, you've never seen a kid's movie before: they always end on a happy note...again with the unintentional musical metaphors). His repetitive cycle with Bobby Cannavale's Jimmy Crystal was unnecessary in the long run, and could've cut the runtime by at least twenty minutes.
Rosita, voiced by Reese Witherspoon, must face her fear of heights if she wants the lead role in the musical. Johnny, voiced by Taron Egerton, must learn new dance moves for the musical but is sidelined by his own insecurities and an overbearing coach. Meena, voiced by Tori Kelly, must step out of her shy nature and kiss someone for the musical. Each of these stories are as generic as they come, and are all resolved in quick succession without any effort despite them showing effort to overcome them, but not showing enough effort to qualify such drastic changes so quickly.
Then there's the heart of the film, and that comes from Clay Calloway, voiced by the famed U2 frontman Bono. He was a famous rock star back in his day, but gave it all up after his wife died, and settled for a reclusive life away from the spotlight. Ash, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, attempts to bridge the connection between Clay's love for music and his trepidation to return to the stage, using music as a way to soothe old wounds. It's touching, but like the other stories, gets resolved way too simply and quickly, especially for an overly bloated film.
Still, you can do worse than to sit through this film at least once with your kids, and it will keep you adequately entertained for one run-through before the eventual repeat button for the kiddos. It teaches important life lessons, but doesn't delve too deeply on how to resolve them. It's got enough pop songs to keep your toes tapping, but in the end it doesn't really lead the group in any new direction, and serves more as background noise than a memorable animated film.
Offering much of the same as before, "Sing 2" serves more as a way to mindlessly entertain the kiddos for a little while instead of providing something of substance, but is enjoyable enough for at least one sit-through - not that you'll remember it after leaving the room.
The Score: B
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