Song Sung Blue Review: An Musical Homage Story Gets a Heartwarming Boost from Hollywood Thanks to Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson

This film presents a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining true-life story emerging from the American entertainment world; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for the way the plot frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found my eyes closed with my jaw agape at certain key points, while clutching the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from previous relationships that during the 1990s formed a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an additional song.

But things were not easy for them, and this movie contemplates the difficulty that arises when the lightning of ill fortune hits repeatedly.

From Documentary to Drama

The film is actually based on a prior documentary film bearing the identical name created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of homemade recordings. One could argue that the documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. The director and stars transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and appearing strikingly alike. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly tribute artist called Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. The role of Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina who is around the same age – and their burgeoning friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Sarcasm and mockery have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness of trying to make it in the margins of the music business, or indeed succeeding in any field and within any profession.

This is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism renders it a calorific Christmas treat.

Song Sung Blue releases December 25th in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the UK.