What to love about it

Film review: Sing

MANILA, Philippines – Sing is the latest animated musical comedy coming from Illumination Entertainment. Directed by Garth Jennings, who gave us the precious British indie Son of Rambow; Sing pretty much sticks to formula, but does so with enthusiasm and charm.

Viewers will love the jukebox element of the soundtrack and the back stories of the singing protagonists. There may be predictability in the plotline, but you can’t fault the “off-the-wall” humor that sparkles, and the wonderful selection of songs that basically mines popular songs from the ’70s to the present day. One original song, Faith, written by Stevie Wonder and Ryan Tedder, and performed by Ariana Grande for the soundtrack, has already made the lists of award giving bodies.

Koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) is a wheeling and dealing proud owner of a once grand theater that has now fallen on hard times. In a moment of inspiration, he comes up with the idea of an amateur singing contest and his bug-eyed elderly iguana assistant, Mrs. Krawly (Jennings) mistakenly prints $100,000 as the prize money instead of 1,000. Naturally, any and every aspiring singer is now lining up to join the contest. It’s in assembling these contestants and providing their little back stories that the film comes into its own with panache and unbridled glee (yes, reference intended).

Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) is the frustrated housewife/pig, while Ash (Scarlett Johansson) is the punk rock porcupine. Seth McFarlane is the crooner mouse Mike and Taron Egerton plays Johnny, the sweet-singing gorilla whose father is into nefarious criminal activities. The wonderfully-voiced Tori Kelly plays the elephant who suffers from stage fright, and I loved the scene-stealing Nick Kroll as Gunter, the overly confident pig who partners with Rosita. It’s in making these characters come to life for us that Jenning’s screenplay excels and provides us with undemanding entertainment.

Jennifer Hudson has bright moments as the diva sheep Nana Noodleman, but the constant shafts of humor propel the film as an even brighter diversion. Look out for the Koala car wash that Buster recreates when he’s down and out; or the running gag about Mrs. Krawly’s glass eye. Or what happens to the poor snail that should have been one of the singing finalists. These scenes all add up to making this enjoyable for both children and adults. Sure it’s American Idol and what have you singing talent show brought to animated animals level, but when done with such undisguised fervor, we can’t help but sing along! Philip Cu Unjieng