Song Sung Blue Review: An Neil Diamond Tribute Act Gets a Sweet Treat of Movie Magic Thanks to Jackman and Hudson

This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser whose feelgood flavour won’t prepare you for the way the narrative repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from prior unions who in the 90s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance for an encore.

However, life was far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on the difficulty that arises when misfortune's bolt hits repeatedly.

Adapting a Real Story

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary of the same title from 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of home video. It’s fair to say that the documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life.

Yet this is not the approach this film from director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and looking almost like him. He is entirely believable as someone who isn’t supposed to be in the big league but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, performing her own vocals in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, even though one particular Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named 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 – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Sarcasm and mockery have been surgically removed from Mike and Claire’s dramatically packed life experiences, and replacing them Brewer substitutes those qualities which the pair personally would have recognized: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it in the margins of the music business, or for that matter making it anywhere and within any profession.

This is a never-say-die story and its cheerful optimism makes it a rich holiday delight.

Song Sung Blue releases on 25 December in the United States and 1 January in Australia and the United Kingdom.