Song Sung Blue Film Review: An Musical Homage Act Gets a Sweet Treat of Movie Magic Courtesy of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson
This film presents a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining real-life tale emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone won’t prepare 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 at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands.
The Unbelievable True Tale
The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from prior unions who in the 90s formed a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they became a cult hit within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song.
But things were far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on how tough it is when misfortune's bolt strikes more than once.
From Documentary to Drama
The film is actually based on a prior documentary film bearing the identical name created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of home video. It’s fair to say that the original documentary puts more emphasis 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. He, Jackman and Hudson 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’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be the major leagues but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the pipes) to headline a performance.
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. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one iconic Cline tune that this film interestingly misses out.
Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act 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 – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability.
The Core Narrative
Sarcasm and mockery have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and in their place 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 industry, or for that matter making it anywhere and within any profession.
It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism renders it a rich holiday delight.
Song Sung Blue releases December 25th in the US and 1 January in Australia and the United Kingdom.
