🔗 Share this article

Here is a remarkably odd, undeniably entertaining true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for how the narrative repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, while clutching the chair ahead with both fists.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from previous relationships who in the 90s formed a kitschy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance for an encore.

But things were not easy for them, 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 of the same title from 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a film that was extensively on the family's personal collection of home video. It’s fair to say that the documentary focuses more intently on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

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, sounding almost like him, and looking almost like him. He is entirely believable as someone who isn’t supposed to be in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to carry a show.

Standout Performances

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals as Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, even though one particular Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act 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 – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been surgically removed 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 fragility and isolation involved in striving for success on the fringes of the music business, or indeed succeeding in any field and in any business.

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

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