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This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story from the heartland of American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for how the narrative repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had my eyes closed with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from previous relationships who in the 90s formed a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit within their state and even performed before 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 movie contemplates how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

The film is actually based on an existing documentary bearing the identical name created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of home video. One could argue that the documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and looking almost like him. He’s perfectly plausible as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

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 Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. The role of Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Sarcasm and mockery have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's dramatically packed life experiences, and replacing them Brewer installs those qualities that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness of trying to make it on the fringes of the music industry, or indeed succeeding in any field and within any profession.

It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its bright hopefulness renders it a calorific Christmas treat.

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