SONG SUNG BLUE (2025)

Song Sung Blue is the stranger-than-fiction, real-life story of how one Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act ended up opening for Pearl Jam and meeting the great man himself. Mike ‘Lightning’ Sardina’s (Hugh Jackman) a down-on-his-luck singer who falls for Patsy Cline impersonator Claire (Kate Hudson) and forms a Neil Diamond tribute act with her.

He’s also a Vietnam veteran with heart problems and 20 years of sobriety who works odd jobs as a mechanic and will impersonate anyone who books him. She’s a struggling single mother and hairdresser who’ll sing anything if it allows her to go on stage. Sparks ignite when they meet, and the pair quickly become linked, both romantically and professionally.

Mike loves Neil Diamond, so the pair come up with the idea of starting a Diamond tribute act called Lightning & Thunder (he’s Lightning, she’s Thunder). But he doesn’t want to be your average tribute act, believing the great crooner deserves more than just people chanting “Sweet Caroline” at sports events.

Song Sung Blue balances the ridiculousness of their world with the characters’ likability. Mike’s a charmingly larger-than-life dreamer who treats a night performing as Diamond in a local bar as if he were playing Madison Square Garden. His team around him doesn’t quite share his enthusiasm, including his early manager, who’s also his dentist (Fisher Stevens), his Buddy Holly impersonator friend Mark (Michael Imperioli), and the band’s later manager, Tom (Jim Belushi). No matter how carried away everyone gets with Lightning & Thunder, they never stop being believably real people.

Adapted from Greg Kohs’ 2008 namesake documentary, Song Sung Blue also shares DNA with Craig Brewer’s previous work. Like Hustle & Flow (2005) and, to some extent, his Footloose (2011) remake, this film’s at its best when it focuses on the music and the dog-eared ambition of those trying to fulfil their musical dreams. The pair’s on-stage moments are the highlights, full of vibrancy and energy, helped by Hudson and Jackman’s natural magnetism.

If Song Sung Blue wasn’t based on a documentary, you’d think what occurs to the couple is totally unbelievable. It seems so laughably extraordinary that so many incidents would happen to two tribute singers in 1990s Milwaukee. For example, the band soon finds itself going from singing in modest bars to supporting Pearl Jam during their visit to the state (newcomer John Beckwith charmingly plays Eddie Vedder, who joins the duo on stage).

The more absurd moments of their story are the closest to the truth. No spoilers (the film has more impact if you go in blind), but this movie’s far more than a light-hearted romp about a tribute band that goes far beyond their expected level of fame. The story has real emotional depth, but is sometimes overwritten to milk it for all its emotional worth. But the real-life tale of the Sardinas is strange and tragic enough that it doesn’t need the added melodrama.

Brewer’s film is a love letter to karaoke culture, pub singers, and tribute acts. He never mocks Mike and Claire, nor does he belittle their world. Instead, he treats their performances and dreams as if they were any other genre of music. Why are their hopes for creating a living doing something they love any less valid than a punk band, rapper, or folk musician?

The writing is also greatly sympathetic to Mike and Claire’s personal life. Song Sung Blue touches on mental health, alcoholism, and addiction, yet it never belittles these big issues. One could argue it raises too many of these topics and adds one too many traumas, but it accurately follows the remarkable story of the real Claire and Mike. If their story weren’t so unbelievable, it would seem a poorly written story that grasps for an added emotional layer to a charming but not earth-changing story.

At over two hours long, Song Sung Blue sags under the weight of its many plots and tones. Brewer does the light-hearted froth well, but struggles with the darker tone of the second half. It’s a tough feat to make a frothy film turn into a family drama so quickly, and Brewer doesn’t quite succeed in this task. The latter half tries too hard to tug on the audience’s heartstrings rather than give them a real character study.

Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine) and Kate Hudson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) are phenomenally committed. The film would fall apart without their refusal to feel self-conscious as performers. Both are talented singers and performers in their own right too, which helps them make Claire and Mike seem like they belong on stage singing “Cracklin’ Rosie” night after night.

Jackman has no shame in being as corny and as alive as Mike Sardina was. With his sparkly shirt and page boy hair, the Australian actor embodies the man who may drop down from a heart attack, possibly taking to the stage one last time. It helps that Jackman is a fantastic singer and does his own vocals throughout. He has the challenging task of not just playing Mike but playing Mike channelling Neil.

Kate Hudson has more emotional heft as Claire, a woman who goes through many dark periods. On stage, she sparkles and somehow never gets overshadowed by Jackman’s larger-than-life energy. Offstage, she also shows her range as a dramatic actress, carrying a significant amount of the film’s emotional weight. It’s by far the best performance either has given for years.

While being a Neil Diamond fan isn’t required, it certainly helps make the Diamond-heavy soundtrack more relatable (especially the running joke about Mike’s love for the lesser-known “Soolaimon”). In fact, Diamond fans may complain about the lack of variety in the soundtrack.

Is Song Sung Blue going to make deep marks in the film world? Not really. It’s a gentle, likeable story about resilience and love, held together by committed performances. The film is made for a specific audience and age group and will please them greatly. At its core, it’s a jukebox musical about the ups and downs of a music-loving family who worship at the altar of Neil Diamond and whose faith powers them through the bad times.

USA | 2025 | 132 MINUTES | 1.85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

director: Craig Brewer.
writer: Craig Brewer (based on the documentary by Greg Kohs).
starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Andeson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens & Jim Belushi.