It's no secret that Hugh Jackman is a, forgive me, jack of all trades. The man can do it all, from super-hero to Broadway star. He's a man's man who's not afraid to learn the choreography, as his iconic roles in everything from Wolverine to The Greatest Showman prove. What's perhaps lesser known is that Kate Hudson, Jackman's counterpart in Song Sung Blue, the latest film from writer/director Craig Brewer, is a multi-hyphenate herself. Sure, she's had a few music-centric roles (see: the criminally underrated Nine) and she even put out an album in 2024, but I don't think the world is ready for the career-best performance she delivers in this crowd-pleasing biopic about a real-life couple that made their mark in the midwest as a Neil Diamond tribute act.
Based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Kohs, Song Sung Blue is such a cinematic story one would be forgiven for thinking it was actually all fictional. Surely it can't be possible that all of this, the high highs and low lows, really happened to Mike and Claire Sardina in late '80s and early'90s Milwaukee? The film may take some liberties with the specifics of their lives, but overall, Brewer's adaptation honors a truly remarkable duo who faced great odds and managed to find not just a path forward but success greater than either could ever have imagined.
Jackman is Mike Sardina, better known to his friends and fellow musicians as Lightning, a man so committed to his love of Neil Diamond that as the film opens, he's refusing to play his part in an impersonation show and insists he'll either go on stage as Diamond or not at all. Before he walks out of the show, he bumps into Claire (Hudson), a bubbly young thing on hand to portray Patsy Cline. But, she's quick to share with him and us, she's actually a blonde; consider Lightning intrigued!
The meet-cute moves things along quickly, and soon Claire and Mike are rehearsing with a motley crew of fellow workaday musicians in his garage, the two of them duetting on Neil Diamond classics like it's the most natural thing in the world. As they fall deeper in love, merge their families (both have teenage daughters from previous relationships who couldn't be more different from each other) and start hitting the road with gigs, things start looking up for the new family and the new band. Sure, there are some hiccups, like Mike insisting on the setlist even when it's clear the venue or the audience aren't the best fit for his plans. But it's all in service of helping us understand who he is and how clear his vision is for the show they're putting on; he is so enamored with all things Diamond that we start to appreciate he just genuinely wants his audiences to get the same positive experience.
It's hinted at in the film's trailer, but the story is not just a series of Neil Diamond songs interspersed between narrative fluff to build out the running time. Mike and Claire don't have it easy, from his struggles with alcoholism and managing his addiction through meetings, to a freak accident outside their home that leaves Claire in a deep depression after the loss of her leg. There's other family drama, Mike's own health scares and a small cast of players who keep the band going throughout, too. All that to say, there's a lot to sink one's teeth into in the story of Lightning & Thunder and that's before you even get to the music.
And oh, the music. Brewer has all but made a musical here, the film features so many numbers incorporated seamlessly into the script, from a couple versions of the title song, Diamond's most popular classic "Sweet Caroline" and plenty of deep cuts, too. Filmed by cinematographer Amy Vincent, the performance scenes are some of the film's most vibrant and rewarding. From a dingy dive bar where the band isn't even sure the resident biker group wants them to perform to a local Thai restaurant where Mike makes ends meet hosting karaoke nights to actual concert halls packed with fans, every number is bigger and bolder than it needs to be, immersing us in Mike and Claire's world as they live their best lives belting out the classics.
At the end of the day, Song Sung Blue won't be remembered for being a cinematic achievement, per se. Not in the way some auteur directors are given the prestige treatment this time of year. But it's an exceptional film nonetheless, something much more human and grounded. That's thanks in no small part to the subjects themselves as well as the impressive performances from both Jackman and Hudson and, of course, the soundtrack, chock full of Neil Diamond classics we all know and love. Song Sung Blue is the kind of film that reminds us that life is better with a partner, better when we're able to see our struggles as opportunities, and better, of course, with good music to get us through it all.
Song Sung Blue is now in theaters.
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