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Here is 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 plot frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes and mouth open during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the chair ahead with both fists.

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 prior unions who in the 90s formed a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they became a cult hit within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an encore.

But things were far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on how tough it is when misfortune's bolt hits repeatedly.

Adapting a Real Story

It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film of the same title created in 2008 by Greg Kohs concerning this surreal reality, a film that was heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of home video. One could argue that the original documentary focuses more intently on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

But that’s not how this film from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson turn the laugh-at into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and appearing strikingly alike. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to carry a show.

Notable Acting

Hudson is also excellent, performing her own vocals as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage 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 called Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown act known as Sex Machine. The role of Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, 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

Irony and satire have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's dramatically packed life stories, and in their place Brewer installs those qualities that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it in the margins of the music business, or indeed making it anywhere and in any business.

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

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