🔗 Share this article Song Sung Blue Film Review: An Musical Homage Act Receives a Sweet Treat from Hollywood Thanks to Jackman and Hudson This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable real-life tale emerging from the American entertainment world; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the plot frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes and mouth open during several crucial moments, while clutching the chair ahead with both fists. The Unbelievable True Tale The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from prior unions who in the 90s created a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation in their home state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an encore. 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 It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film 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. 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 reimagines their tale. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and looking almost like him. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to carry a show. Notable Acting Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one iconic Cline tune is curiously omitted from this movie. Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act 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 – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability. The Core Narrative Irony and satire have been surgically removed from Mike and Claire’s dramatically packed life stories, and in their place Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have recognized: the vulnerability and loneliness involved in striving for success in the margins of the music industry, or for that matter making it anywhere and within any profession. It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its bright hopefulness renders it a rich holiday delight. The film "Song Sung Blue" releases on 25 December in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.