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This film presents a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story from the heartland of American showbusiness; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for the way the plot repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee who had children from previous relationships who in the 90s created a kitschy Neil Diamond tribute act called Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them during their performance for an additional song.

But things were far from simple for the pair, and this movie contemplates the difficulty that arises when misfortune's bolt strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

It is in fact adapted from a prior documentary film 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. It’s fair to say that the documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

But that’s not how this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, 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 vocal cords) to carry a show.

Notable Acting

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world enjoyed a successful career as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one iconic Cline tune is curiously omitted from this movie.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly tribute artist called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina who is around the same age – and their burgeoning 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 substitutes those attributes which the pair personally would have recognized: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it on the fringes of the music industry, or indeed making it anywhere and within any profession.

It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism renders it a calorific Christmas treat.

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