A reclusive rock star is needed for the opening of a new show in Sing 2. Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and his musical stage company of Rosita Brown (Reese Witherspoon), Ash Spinosa (Scarlett Johansson), Johnny Serafinowicz (Taron Egerton), Meena Jones (Tori Kelly), and Gunter Schwartz (Nick Kroll) travel to Red Shore City to pitch a new stage show to media mogul Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale). Buster gets the show when he promises that reclusive rock star Clay Calloway (Bono) will be part of the show, despite not having been seen in 15 years. With only three weeks to get the production up and running, Buster has to rush to get Calloway to leave his seclusion.
Sing 2 is the follow-up to the 2016 film from Illumination Entertainment, written and directed by Garth Jennings. The film opens with Buster Moon's musical production of Alice in Wonderland, hoping to attract the attention of talent scout Suki (Chelsea Peretti), but he ends up being told that he is not ready for the big leagues. Not wanting to take no for an answer, Buster and his company travel to Red Shore City and crash the audition being held by Jimmy Crystal. When Gunter lets slip the desire to do a sci-fi musical featuring reclusive rockstar Clay Calloway, Crystal's interest is peaked. However, if Buster Moon doesn't deliver Calloway, it could end up costing him more than just the production.
Like the original, Sing 2 is a jukebox musical featuring a mix of current and classic pop hits sung by the ensemble cast. This includes the featured role of Clay Calloway voiced by U2 singer Bono, with a number of the band's songs being used throughout the film as part of Calloway's repertoire. Sing 2 also features roles from other musicians, including Halsey as Jimmy Crystal's entitled daughter Portia, who is granted a role in Buster Moon's show, despite not really having much in terms of acting skills. Then there's an appearance by Pharrell Williams as Alphonso, as a prospective love interest for the shy Meena, who is afraid about performing a romantic number with the egotistical Darius (Eric André).
In a similar fashion to the previous film, each of the characters has their own obstacles to overcome in Sing 2. In addition to the aforementioned romantic subplot with Meena, the film has Rosita dealing with a fear of heights for a wire stunt and Johnny gets tips from breakdancer Nooshy (Letitia Wright) to regain his confidence after being accosted by his cruel dance choreographer Klaus Kickenklober (Adam Buxton). Finally, it is up to Ash to help Clay Calloway overcome the grief over his wife's death 15 years ago and make a return to the spotlight.
While the story of Sing 2 is ultimately a way to progress from one song to another, the film still ends up being a heartfelt and enjoyable romp.
Sing 2 opens on Wednesday, December 22, 2021
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Trailer for Sing 2
