Writer/director Craig Brewer has figured out a way to get a singer’s catalogue in a film without telling an origin story.
In “Song Sung Blue,” he highlights the life of a Neil Diamond “interpreter.” A regular on the state fair circuit, Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) finds a degree of fame in Wisconsin as “Lightning.” He meets a Patsy Cline impersonator, Claire (Kate Hudson), and suggests a duo — she can be “Thunder.”
Hugh Jackman, left, and Kate Hudson, star as a Neil Diamond tribute act in in "Song Sung Blue."
Lightning and Thunder wow the crowds and seem headed for greater success. Then a car crashes into their home — and Claire — and upsets the plan.
Brewer shows how difficult that second tier of fame is and lets Jackman and Hudson shine on a bar stage. How they revere Diamond is just part of the film’s charm.
Based on a 2008 documentary (which is fascinating in its own right), “Song Sung Blue” makes you cheer for the underdog while appreciating those legendary Neil songs. If only the recent Springsteen bio had this angle.
Hudson really leans into her role — watch the documentary and you’ll see — and exhibits a great voice that makes you wonder if it’s time for another Patsy Cline movie.
Jackman is great, too, but Mike is such a lightning rod of emotions that it’s hard not to admire his take on an original.
Filled with dramatic, life-altering moments, “Song Sung Blue” could have been done without any of those “so good, so good” classics and still been a compelling account. With them, it makes you want to see what it was that sparked Lightning.
Brewer doesn’t rewrite what documentarian Greg Kohs laid down, but he does correct some of the approach to the couple’s story. The nonfiction film gets into the family life a bit more, but this captures all the heart.
When Jackman and Hudson sing together, you wish you could have seen them on one of those fair stages and heard the reaction.
“Song Sung Blue” crackles, just like Rosie. Diamond should be proud of the inspiration he provided Mike and Claire — and us.
