🔗 Share this article

This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable real-life tale emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for how the narrative frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. I actually had myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, while clutching the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from prior unions that during the 1990s created a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act called Lightning and Thunder; they became a cult hit in their home state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an additional song.

However, life was not easy for them, and this movie contemplates how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune hits repeatedly.

From Documentary to Drama

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary bearing the identical name from 2008 by Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a film that was extensively on the family's personal collection of home video. One could argue that the documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life.

Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman delivers a masterful performance portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and looking almost like him. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for in the big league but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Notable Acting

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing as Claire, who before she joined 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.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess is Mike's daughter Angelina who is around 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 meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's dramatically packed life stories, and replacing them Brewer installs those attributes which the pair personally would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation involved in striving for success in the margins of the music industry, or indeed succeeding in any field and within any profession.

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

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