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Here is a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone does little to warn you for the way the narrative frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead with both fists.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from previous relationships that during the 1990s formed a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an encore.

But things were far from simple for the pair, and this movie contemplates how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune hits repeatedly.

From Documentary to Drama

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary of the same title created in 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was extensively on the family's personal collection of home video. It’s fair to say that the original documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements in the lives of Mike and Claire.

But that’s not how taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, 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 is also excellent, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as 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 contributing to the movie's charm.

The Heart of the Story

Sarcasm and mockery have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have recognized: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it in the margins of the music industry, or for that matter making it anywhere and within any profession.

It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism renders it a rich holiday delight.

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