🔗 Share this article

Here is a remarkably odd, undeniably entertaining real-life tale emerging from the American entertainment world; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for the way the plot frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the seat in front of me with both fists.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from prior unions that during the 1990s created a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an encore.

However, life was not easy for them, and this film broods on how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.

From Documentary to Drama

The film is actually based on an existing documentary bearing the identical name created in 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of home video. One could argue that the documentary focuses more intently on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, sounding almost like him, 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 vocal cords) to carry a show.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, performing her own vocals 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 iconic Cline tune that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator named Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. The role of 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 meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer installs those attributes which the pair personally would have recognized: the vulnerability and loneliness involved in striving for success on the fringes of the music business, or indeed making it anywhere and within any profession.

It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism 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 UK.