The Song Sung Blue Review: An Musical Homage Act Gets a Heartwarming Boost of Movie Magic Courtesy of Jackman and Hudson

This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable real-life tale from the heartland of American showbusiness; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the plot frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. I actually had my eyes closed and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead with both fists.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from prior unions who in the 90s formed a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance 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 strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film of the same title created in 2008 by Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of homemade recordings. One could argue that the documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements in the lives of Mike and Claire.

Yet this is not the approach this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. He, Jackman and Hudson turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and looking almost like him. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage enjoyed a successful career performing as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, 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 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 the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful 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 for that matter making it anywhere and in any business.

This is a never-say-die story and its cheerful optimism renders it a calorific Christmas treat.

The film "Song Sung Blue" is out on 25 December in the US and 1 January in Australia and the United Kingdom.