Song Sung Blue Review: An Neil Diamond Tribute Act Receives a Sweet Treat from Hollywood Courtesy of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson

Here is a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable real-life tale from the heartland of American showbusiness; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone does little to warn you for the way the plot repeatedly and savagely twists like an unsafe fairground ride. I actually had my eyes closed with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from prior unions who in the 90s formed a kitschy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an encore.

However, life was far from simple for the pair, and this movie contemplates the difficulty that arises when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.

From Documentary to Drama

It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film bearing the identical name from 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 original 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 reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and appearing strikingly alike. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world enjoyed a successful career performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly impersonator named Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. The role of Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess portrays Mike's daughter Angelina of about the same age – and their burgeoning friendship is another underplayed aspect contributing to the movie's charm.

The Heart of the Story

Irony and satire have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and replacing them Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it in the margins of the music industry, or for that matter succeeding in any field and within any profession.

It is a never-say-die story and its bright hopefulness makes it a rich holiday delight.

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