Last weekend, while I was chatting telephonically with her mom, I heard my niece singing, in the background.  “What’s that you’re singing, Luce?” I inquired.  Turns out, it was one of the (many) songs featured in Illumination Entertainment’s new animated feature, Sing – that she’d seen twice.  I’d seen the film advertised on television, and it looked cute (this was confirmed by my sister in law, who assured me that I’d enjoy it).

Since my brother had taken my nephew to Seattle for the weekend (Go, Hawks!) – and realizing I could be the only thing standing between her Mama and a well-earned day-off – I asked Lucy if she wouldn’t like to introduce me to the world of Sing.  Once the squeals of glee subsided (from mother and daughter, alike), Christy and I made plans for me to come get Lucy, the following morning.

That night, I hopped online, and was delighted to find that Sing was playing at Regal Cinemas’ Downtown Summerlin 5 theater complex.  Thanks to Fandango, I could buy our tickets and reserve our seats, from home, that night.  This isn’t new technology (not even new-ish); and it’s so user-friendly that anyone can do it.  And speaking of seats, these theaters are fairly intimate and feature the Regal King-Size Recliners that adjust to multiple positions and have padded footrests.  Now I’m a rather ample-sized fellow, and I find that these seats have pretty much revolutionized the movie-viewing experience, and made it akin to viewing it in the privacy of a (very large) in-home media room.  I also find that I’m at least five times more likely to pass-out during the movie, but so be it.  Furthermore, the movie was playing in Real D® Digital 3D (I don’t really know what this means, but it sounds fancy).

In addition to the de rigueur movie theater concessions; the DTS5 offers some decidedly more gourmet offerings.  There are the Previews – such as Chicken Tenders, Mozzarella Sticks, Fried Green Beans, Fried Macaroni & Cheese Wedges, and a Hummus Sampler with Pita Chips; the Entrees – including a Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich, assorted Pizzas, and a Black Angus Bacon Cheeseburger; and the Desserts – a Lemon Crumb Bar, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Stack Cake, and a Marble Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.

There’s also a fairly full bar, featuring a dozen wines (six reds, and six whites), and a wide selection of beers (including six on tap, and a dozen by the bottle – there’s even a hard cider!), as well as a menu’s worth of specialty cocktails.  Bonus: on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, servers will walk through the theater (before and during previews, only) to take and refresh your orders.

Lucy opted for the Fried Macaroni & Cheese Wedges and a liter-sized bottle of water; while I got a trough of popcorn and a 64oz Diet Coke.  This proved to be especially wasteful, on my part, since I’d had to pee since arriving at the theatre, but – despite not being my first time out with one of the kiddies – I wasn’t sure what the bathroom protocol was.  At age 7, is Lucy too old to come into the Men’s Room?  Do I leave her in the lobby, or in our seats, while I race to the Men’s Room, alone?  Do I bring Lucy with me, and use the Ladies Room?  Finding none of these particularly settling, I held it until I got her home.  As such, my soda was left relatively untouched.  Upon being regaled with this tale of woe (being yelled through the bathroom door) Christy found this whole thing rather funny, but appreciated my refusal to leave Lucy alone in her seat.

And what about the movie?  Sing was a delight.  Sure, after six minutes you knew how every chip in the entire movie was going to fall; but the animation was cheerful, the plot empowering, and there were enough “inside jokes” for the grown-ups that it really was fun for all ages.  So, in addition to having the likes of Seth McFarlane singing Irving Berlin’s “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” and Paul Anka’s “My Way,” as well as Reese Witherspoon and Nick Kroll singing Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” (not to mention Teron Egerton killing it with his cover of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing”); there were modern-day classics, like “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen, and “Bamboléo” by the Gipsy Kings – the latter of which played to a brilliantly choreographed scene featuring Reese Witherspoon’s ‘Rosita’ (a pig who’s the mother of 25 piglets) dancing in the aisles of a grocery store.

At the end of the film, the good guys prevail (as we knew they would), the families all come together (as we knew they would), and a good time was had by all (as we hoped it would).  Also, we still had an obscene amount of popcorn – so we took that home, with us.  Of course, since my niece is a riot, I’d have had fun, even if the movie had been abysmal; but I’m pleased to report that it was charming.

Regal Downtown Summerlin 5
Downtown Summerlin
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