The Song Sung Blue Film Review: An Neil Diamond Tribute Story Gets a Sweet Treat of Movie Magic Courtesy of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson
This film presents a remarkably odd, certainly enjoyable true-life story 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 like an unsafe fairground ride. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape during several crucial moments, while clutching the chair ahead tightly with my hands.
The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story
The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from previous relationships that during the 1990s created a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an encore.
But things were not easy for them, and this film broods on how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune hits repeatedly.
From Documentary to Drama
It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film bearing the identical name from 2008 by 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 original documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements in the lives of Mike and Claire.
But that’s not how taken by this movie from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and appearing strikingly alike. 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 world of Neil Diamond homage enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.
Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator named 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 – and their burgeoning friendship is another underplayed aspect contributing to the movie's charm.
The Core Narrative
Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and in their place Brewer substitutes those qualities that the couple themselves would have recognized: the fragility and isolation involved in striving for success in the margins of the music industry, or for that matter succeeding in any field and within any profession.
It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its bright hopefulness makes it a rich holiday delight.
Song Sung Blue is out December 25th in the US and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.
