The Song Sung Blue Film Review: An Musical Homage Act Gets a Sweet Treat from Hollywood Courtesy of Jackman and Hudson

Here is a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; 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 myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape during several crucial moments, while clutching the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from previous relationships that during the 1990s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song.

However, life was not easy for them, and this film broods on how tough it is 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 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied extensively on the couple’s family archive of home video. It’s fair to say that the documentary puts more emphasis 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. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into shared amusement. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and looking almost like him. He’s perfectly plausible as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the pipes) to carry a show.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage had a thriving act 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 called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – and their burgeoning friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from Mike and Claire’s dramatically packed life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness involved in striving for success on the fringes of the music business, or indeed making it anywhere and within any profession.

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

Song Sung Blue is out on 25 December in the United States and 1 January in Australia and the UK.