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This film presents a remarkably odd, undeniably entertaining true-life story from the heartland of the American entertainment world; an endearing hit with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for how the plot frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had myself shutting my eyes and mouth open during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from previous relationships that during the 1990s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an encore.

However, life was not easy for them, and this movie contemplates how tough it is when misfortune's bolt strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary bearing the identical name 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. It’s fair to say that the documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

Yet this is not the approach taken by this movie from director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. The director and stars turn the laugh-at into laugh-with. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, sounding almost like him, and looking almost like him. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be the major leagues but who clearly has the chops (and the pipes) to headline a performance.

Notable Acting

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 performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, although there is one Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. The role of Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess portrays Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – and their burgeoning friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Core Narrative

Sarcasm and mockery have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's dramatically packed life stories, and in their place Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation involved in striving for success in the margins of the music industry, or for that matter succeeding in any field and within any profession.

This is a never-say-die story and its bright hopefulness renders it a calorific Christmas treat.

The film "Song Sung Blue" is out on 25 December in the United States and 1 January in Australia and the UK.