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This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone does little to warn you for how the narrative frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes and mouth open during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from prior unions that during the 1990s formed a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they became a cult hit in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance for an additional song.

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

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 film that was heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of home video. One could argue that the documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects of Mike and Claire’s life.

Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and appearing strikingly alike. He is entirely believable as someone who isn’t supposed to be in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to carry a show.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals in the role of Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage enjoyed a successful career performing 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, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. The role of Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess portrays Mike’s daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect contributing to the movie's charm.

The Heart of the Story

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those qualities 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 succeeding in any field and in any business.

It is a never-say-die story and its bright hopefulness makes it a calorific Christmas treat.

The film "Song Sung Blue" releases December 25th in the United States and 1 January in Australia and the UK.