This film presents a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining real-life tale from the heartland of American showbusiness; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the narrative frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. Personally, I found my eyes closed with my jaw agape during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.
The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from prior unions who in the 90s 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, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance for an encore.
But things were not easy for them, and this film broods on the difficulty that arises when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.
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 movie that relied heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of home video. One could argue that the original documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.
But that’s not how taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. The director and stars transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and looking almost like him. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to headline a performance.
Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one iconic Cline tune that this film interestingly misses out.
Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess portrays Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – and their burgeoning friendship serving as another subtle element contributing to the movie's charm.
Irony and satire have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and replacing them Brewer substitutes those attributes which the pair personally would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation involved in striving for success in the margins of the music business, or indeed making it anywhere and in any business.
This is a tale of relentless perseverance and its bright hopefulness makes it a calorific Christmas treat.
Song Sung Blue releases December 25th in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.