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Here is a remarkably odd, certainly enjoyable true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for the way the narrative frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had my eyes closed and mouth open during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the chair ahead 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 with kids from previous relationships that during the 1990s formed a kitschy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit within their state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance 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 hits repeatedly.

From Documentary to Drama

The film is actually based on a prior documentary film bearing the identical name from 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of home video. It’s fair to say that the documentary focuses more intently on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and looking almost like him. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals as Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly impersonator named Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act called Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess portrays 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

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes 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 for that matter succeeding in any field and in any business.

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

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