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This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story from the heartland of the American entertainment world; a lovable crowdpleaser whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the plot repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found my eyes closed and mouth open during several crucial moments, while clutching the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from previous relationships that during the 1990s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they grew into a cult hit within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them during their performance for an encore.

But things were not easy for them, and this film broods on how tough it is when misfortune's bolt hits repeatedly.

Adapting a Real Story

The film is actually based on an existing documentary of the same title created in 2008 from filmmaker 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 documentary puts more emphasis on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how this film from director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, sounding almost like him, and appearing strikingly alike. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, although there is one Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess is Mike's daughter Angelina of about the same age – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element contributing to the movie's charm.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and replacing them Brewer substitutes those qualities which the pair personally would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness of trying to make it 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 makes it a calorific Christmas treat.

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