Song Sung Blue Film Review: A Neil Diamond Tribute Story Gets a Heartwarming Boost from Hollywood Courtesy of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson
This film presents a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining true-life story emerging from the American entertainment world; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone does little to warn you for how the plot frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. 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
Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from previous relationships who in the 90s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for 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 movie contemplates 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 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was extensively on the family's personal collection of home video. It’s fair to say that the original documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life.
Yet this is not the approach this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman delivers a masterful performance portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, sounding almost like him, and appearing strikingly alike. 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.
Standout Performances
Hudson is also excellent, performing her own vocals as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.
Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is 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 – 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 Mike and Claire’s dramatically packed life experiences, and in their place Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have recognized: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it in the margins of the music business, or indeed making it anywhere and within any profession.
This is a tale of relentless perseverance and its bright hopefulness makes it a rich holiday delight.
The film "Song Sung Blue" is out December 25th in the US and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.
