Song Sung Blue Review: An Neil Diamond Tribute Act Gets a Sweet Treat from Hollywood Courtesy of Jackman and Hudson
This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story from the heartland of the American entertainment world; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for the way the narrative repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape at certain key points, while clutching the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.
The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story
The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from prior unions that during the 1990s formed a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an encore.
However, life was not easy for them, and this film broods on how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune hits repeatedly.
Adapting a Real Story
The film is actually based on a prior documentary film bearing the identical name created in 2008 by Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a movie that relied extensively on the couple’s family archive 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.
Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. He, Jackman and Hudson 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 someone who isn’t supposed to be the major leagues but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the vocal cords) to carry a show.
Notable Acting
Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.
Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. The role of Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess portrays Mike's daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability.
The Heart of the Story
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 qualities that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation involved in striving for success on the fringes of the music business, or for that matter making it anywhere and within any profession.
It is a never-say-die story and its cheerful optimism 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.
