🔗 Share this article The Song Sung Blue Film Review: An Musical Homage Story Receives a Sweet Treat from Hollywood Thanks to Jackman and Hudson This film presents a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining real-life tale from the heartland of the American entertainment world; a lovable crowdpleaser whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the narrative repeatedly and savagely twists like an unsafe fairground ride. I actually had myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands. The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from previous relationships who in the 90s formed a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song. But things were far from simple for the pair, and this movie contemplates how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once. Adapting a Real Story It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary bearing the identical name from 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied extensively on the family's personal collection of home video. One could argue that the documentary puts more emphasis on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life. Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, 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 headline a performance. Notable Acting Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, 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 called Sex Machine. The role of Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess portrays Mike's daughter Angelina who is around the same age – and their burgeoning friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability. The Core Narrative Sarcasm and mockery have been meticulously excised from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and replacing them Brewer installs those qualities which the pair personally would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness involved in striving for success on the fringes of the music business, or for that matter succeeding in any field and within any profession. This is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism renders it a rich holiday delight. The film "Song Sung Blue" is out December 25th in the United States and 1 January in Australia and the United Kingdom.