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This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable real-life tale emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone does little to warn you for the way the narrative repeatedly and savagely twists 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 with both fists.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from prior unions that during the 1990s formed a kitschy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an additional song.

However, life was not easy for them, and this film broods on how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.

From Documentary to Drama

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary bearing the identical name created in 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied extensively on the family's personal collection of homemade recordings. One could argue that the original documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery 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 in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world enjoyed a successful career performing as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist 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 is Mike's daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Irony and satire have been surgically removed from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer installs those qualities that the couple themselves would have recognized: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it on the fringes of the music business, or for that matter succeeding in any field and within any profession.

This is a never-say-die story and its cheerful optimism makes it a calorific Christmas treat.

Song Sung Blue releases December 25th in the US and January 1st in Australia and the UK.