Song Sung Blue Film Review: An Neil Diamond Tribute Act Gets a Heartwarming Boost from Hollywood Thanks to Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson
Here is a remarkably odd, certainly enjoyable true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour won’t prepare you for the way the plot repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the chair ahead with both fists.
The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story
The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from prior unions that during the 1990s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit in their home state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song.
However, life was far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on the difficulty that arises when the lightning of ill fortune hits repeatedly.
From Documentary to Drama
It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film bearing the identical name created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of homemade recordings. It’s fair to say that the documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.
Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from writer-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, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and appearing strikingly alike. He’s perfectly plausible as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the pipes) to headline a performance.
Notable Acting
Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.
Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina who is around the same age – and their burgeoning friendship serving as another subtle element contributing to the movie's charm.
The Heart of the Story
Irony and satire have been surgically removed from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer installs those qualities which the pair personally would have recognized: 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 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 1 January in Australia and the United Kingdom.