The Song Sung Blue Film Review: A Neil Diamond Tribute Act Receives a Sweet Treat from Hollywood Thanks to Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson

Here is a remarkably odd, undeniably entertaining real-life tale emerging from American showbusiness; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the plot repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found my eyes closed and mouth open at certain key points, while clutching the chair ahead with both fists.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from previous relationships that during the 1990s formed a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an encore.

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

From Documentary to Drama

The film is actually based on an existing documentary bearing the identical name from 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied extensively on the family's personal collection of homemade recordings. One could argue that the original documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

Yet this is not the approach this film from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. The director and stars transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and appearing strikingly alike. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, even though one particular Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly tribute artist called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. The role of Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's dramatically packed life experiences, and in their place Brewer installs those qualities that the couple themselves would have recognized: the vulnerability and loneliness involved in striving for success on the fringes of the music industry, or indeed making it anywhere and in any business.

It is a never-say-die story and its bright hopefulness renders it a calorific Christmas treat.

Song Sung Blue is out December 25th in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.