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This film presents a remarkably odd, undeniably entertaining real-life tale from the heartland of the American entertainment world; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for how the plot repeatedly and savagely twists like an unsafe fairground ride. I actually had myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the seat in front of me with both fists.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from prior unions who in the 90s formed a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song.

However, life was far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on the difficulty that arises when misfortune's bolt strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

The film is actually based on an existing documentary of the same title created in 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of home video. One could argue that the original documentary focuses more intently on the delusional and absurd aspects of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman delivers a masterful performance 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 pipes) to carry a show.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one iconic Cline tune that this film interestingly misses out.

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 is Mike's daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Irony and satire have been surgically removed from Mike and Claire’s dramatically packed life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes which the pair personally would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it in the margins of the music business, or indeed making it anywhere and within any profession.

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

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