Let the Canary Sing

It is a strangely unambitious piece, one that keeps unearthing points of interest and then recoiling from further exploration.

While Let the Canary Sing is undoubtedly a loving portrait of Lauper, it's also a very human portrait of a woman who has always been OK with walking away, or dusting herself down after personal and professional challenges.

One thing is achingly clear in: The only things that truly mattered to Lauper were music and family. In this touching and lovely film, the two come together to show the world the true heart of Lauper’s character the way it’s always been.

“Let the Canary Sing” is satisfying when it focuses on Lauper’s music and her ragamuffin-street-kook persona, but you feel like you’re getting the super-bite-size version of Cyndi Lauper’s life.

The archival footage is worth the sleepy storytelling.

You get the impression you are never seeing Lauper's true colors. This is a shame, because she's a remarkable unconventional woman with a generous, compassionate heart...But her willingness to be vulnerable is limited.

Let the Canary Sing lets Cyndi Lauper’s true colors shine through.

It (and she) has the power to make viewers into true believers not only in her talent, but in her message of acceptance, inclusion, and unconditional love.

Offers no real critique or surprises.

The archival footage is outstanding, and we learn some harrowing stuff about the singer’s upbringing.