Sing 2 - Review

The mantra of “Let’s put on a show” has not only been around for decades upon decades, but might just be one of the noblest goals in all of entertainment. For as much is made of cinematic universes and serious “peak” TV, sometimes providing a good time is all that’s really required. This seems to be the mission statement of “Sing 2,” a followup to the 2016 animated hit from Illumination and writer/director Garth Jennings (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Son of Rambow”)

Following Buster Moon, voiced by Matthew McConaughey (“Dazed and Confused,” “Interstellar”) and his crew of performers from the New Moon Theatre, the film shows their attempts to put on a show stopping original musical for media mogul Jimmy Crystal, voiced by Bobby Cannavale (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Ant-Man”), in one of his hotels in Redshore City, a stand-in for Las Vegas. Buster must not only put on the show, but also track down reclusive musician Clay Calloway, voiced by Bono, who he lied about being in the show to get Crystal’s approval.

This is the overall plot but, like the first film, this is an ensemble piece featuring quite a few competing subplots involving the various members of Buster’s crew. There’s Rosita, voiced by Reese Witherspoon (“Legally Blonde,” “Walk the Line”), who is replaced in the show by Crystal’s untalented daughter Portia, voiced by Halsey. There’s also Johnny, voiced by Taron Egerton (“Kingsman: The Secret Service,” “Rocketman”), who struggles with the show complex choreography and un-helpful dance instructor and seeks outside help from streetwise dancer Nooshy, voiced by Letitia Wright (“Black Panther,” “Small Axe”). And there’s still more after that.

While the first film did have to establish every character and their motivations, it felt far cleaner than the second’s somewhat bloated plot. Apart from Ash the porcupine rock star, voiced by Scarlett Johansson (“Ghost World,” “The Avengers”) and her bonding with Calloway, each subplot seems relegated to backseat material for the most part. They do all connect in the third act in a sugary sweet way, but they’re the furthest thing from complex or nuanced.

Each of the voice actors does a commendable job, either those that carry over from the first film or that are new for this sequel. Bono isn’t exactly doing a lot of acting, but he gets the job done. The same goes for Halsey, who just seems to be there to be there. Eric André (“Man Seeking Woman,” “The Eric Andre Show”) does appear for a well-voiced comedic supporting character, and Chelsea Peretti (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Game Night”) as Suki, Crystal’s assistant, provides a calm, smooth voiced reprieve from the overly cartoony tones of the rest of the cast.

Honestly, the best part of the entire film might be Cannavale’s vocal performance as Crystal. He’s clearly having a lot of fun with the role, and the character’s attitude is far nastier than any from the first film, providing a welcome change of pace and also delivering as close to a legitimate threat as this sort of film could allow.

Because, let’s face it, even those who love the first film (like myself) can clearly tell that this is a downgrade. Going bigger and better than the first film has rarely resulted in higher quality material, and “Sing 2” clearly just wants to entertain. The songs flow fast and free, practically begging audiences to sing along and follow the bouncing ball. They are at least weaved into the narrative in the form of the musical though, so they aren’t purely superficial.

There’s also the typical blend of Illumination’s high quality animation. Their films will never boast the experimentation of Sony, the detail of Pixar, or the exuberance of Dreamworks, yet they never really aim to. It’s a clean, smooth look that serves their smaller stories, like “Sing 2”, well enough. Like the animation, Jennings never complicates the film more than it needs to, keeping the story moving along with all of its extra subplots and a steady pace of inspirational messages and family friendly jokes.

It all adds up as a film that’s serviceable. It’s not annoying or bad, but not anything special either. The first film had these sparks of genius in the little details, like how Meena the shy elephant had to write her request for an audition on her hand due to her anxieties. None of that details is here, leaving this sequel feeling like less of a well-rounded film than the first and instead resorting to being exactly what it looks like: a passably enjoyable collection of animated music videos with a loose story stringing them together.

That might sound harsh, and maybe it is, but “Sing 2” clearly just wants to be that. It wants to come up with a tale that has enough energy and space for as many show stopping numbers as possible. It peppers some inspirational moments throughout and its cast of voice actors are doing good work, but “Sing 2” really is the same type of show the characters in it are putting on: it’s just an excuse to put on a show and put a smile on its audience’s faces. In that it succeeds, even if it does so with merely the status quo. 3/5