🔗 Share this article

Here is a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining true-life story from the heartland of the American entertainment world; a lovable crowdpleaser whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for the way the plot repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, while clutching the chair ahead tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from prior unions that during the 1990s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit in their home state and even performed before Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined 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 misfortune's bolt hits repeatedly.

From Documentary to Drama

The film is actually based on an existing documentary bearing the identical name from 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 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 transform the mockery into laugh-with. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and appearing strikingly alike. 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 carry a show.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing in the role of 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, even though one particular 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 act known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess portrays Mike’s daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element contributing to the movie's charm.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and replacing them Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it on the fringes of the music industry, or indeed succeeding in any field and within any profession.

This is a never-say-die story and its bright hopefulness makes it a rich holiday delight.

The film "Song Sung Blue" is out on 25 December in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the UK.