‘Song Sung Blue’ Review: Kate Hudson Rises From the Ashes of Overcooked Trauma Biopic to Make Neil Diamond Cool Again [B-]

Growing up in a world before Kidz Bop and Ms. Rachel, we had no say in the radio stations that accompanied our daily commutes or the albums that were loaded onto the record player. We listened to the music our parents listened to. And in my house, our holy Trinity were The Beach Boys, Elvis, and Neil Diamond. 

At some point it became deeply uncool to admit to liking Neil Diamond, and I spent much of high school feigning indifference. It wasn’t until a late-night confession session with a college roommate over spoonfuls of unbaked Nestle Tollhouse that we discovered our shared affinity for the singer. All of this is to say, Song Sung Blue–a tonally confused but ultimately joyful movie–was made for me and an entire generation of kids and their parents who couldn’t get enough of catchy tunes like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “America,” and “Cherry, Cherry.”

A true story, based on the 2008 documentary of the same name, Hugh Jackman is Mike “Lightning” Sardina, a Milwaukee mechanic who spends his days tuning up cars and his nights playing in whatever band will let him. His primary gig is a “Legends” show full of impersonators from Elvis to Barbra Streisand. We first meet Mike singing at an AA meeting on his 20th sober birthday before heading off to the county fairgrounds and walking out on the legends show after an argument with leader and Buddy Holly impersonator Mark Shurilla (Michael Imperioli). “I will not sing ‘Tiny Bubbles’ on my birthday,” Mike protests, Hawaiian shirt and Don Ho wig slightly askew. But before he gets away, he engages in some playful flirting with the new girl Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson), all dolled up as Patsy Cline.

The undeniable chemistry between Jackman and Hudson makes it easy to believe Mike and Claire’s fast connection and sudden romance. Within minutes or weeks or months, time is irrelevant here, Claire is urging Mike not to do what every other impersonator is doing, but to channel his idol Neil Diamond into something different. Not to be Diamond, but to interpret him. In what may be one of the film’s best scenes, Mike and Claire start by talking about the possibility of such a show before busting out a book of sheet music and a keyboard to start figuring it out. There is a thrilling energy in watching two people, not songwriters but with strong instincts for music and performance, while they create something special together from songs they already love.

By the end of the scene they are Lightning & Thunder: A Neil Diamond Experience in need of a backup band, a manager, and some gigs. And they very quickly have all three. Mike makes up with Mark who brings in Tom D’Amato (a cartoonishly delightful Jim Belushi channeling SNL’s ‘Da Bears’ guys). D’Amato is a casino tour bus operator with a good heart and dubious connections who thinks he’s booking a bar show with a group of silver-haired motorhome dwellers, only to find a motorcycle club expecting the music of ZZ Top. It does not go well, but does accelerate Mike and Claire’s relationship, sending them to the altar to be married by their bandmate and friend Sex Machine (Mustafa Shakir) under the disapproving scowl of Claire’s mother. 

Jackman, an Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning performer brings the charm and swagger he used to deliver unforgettable turns as P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, Harold Hill in The Music Man, and Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. When he is Mike, he is a man who has lived several lifetimes: a Vietnam veteran who cleared foxholes, a divorced dad who rarely sees his daughter Angelina (King Princess), and a recovering alcoholic who faithfully attends his meetings. His initial reluctance to perform as Neil Diamond stems from his reverence for the man and the songs that have gotten him through some of the darkest times of his life. When he is onstage persona Lightning, still with grease under his nails and an easy smile, he knows how to win over a crowd and Jackman does a good job at finding the balance between the two. His esteem for Diamond is what makes Lightning so well-suited to embody him onstage, and also nearly derails what he hopes to accomplish. He wants the audience to see what he sees, not just be entertained by the one song he knows they all want to hear. He insists on opening the show, instead, with fans and smoke and the ethereal track “Soolaimon,” not because they want that song, but because they should, something that becomes a bit of a running gag in the film.

In this story, there would be no Lightning without Thunder and Kate Hudson’s Claire is exactly the passionate boost Mike needs. She gives him room to not just dream bigger but to do more. She knows “Soolaimon” isn’t the way to start their show but she’ll let him figure that out for himself. Claire is savvy at choosing her battles. A hairdresser and divorced mom to Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Dayna (Hudson Henley), Claire is full of life and goals. “I don’t wanna be a hairdresser,” she tells Mike. “I wanna sing. I want a house. I want a garden. I want a cat.” Hudson brings enthusiasm and pure joy to the role, never allowing Claire to be relegated to the background. It is her best work since Almost Famous and in some ways even better. 

When it works, one of the great things about Song Sung Blue is the compassion and realism with which it treats the lower middle class of America’s heartland. While Lightning & Thunder start finding success; booking gigs all over the region, being featured in local news stories, even getting to open for Pearl Jam and sing with Eddie Vedder, they still have to work day jobs to make ends meet. Their modest house is directly under the Milwaukee airport flight path, their cars are constantly in need of repairs, and there is never anything extra. But for them, the stage isn’t about becoming rich and famous, it is an outlet, a hobby, a need to fulfill.

Hudson’s and Jackman’s strong performances are, unfortunately, undercut by the sudden and jarring onslaught of tragedies that befall the Sardina family. Just as their act is taking off Claire loses a leg in a horrific car accident outside their home. The ensuing months of depression and despair are an important part of Mike and Claire’s story, but take such a dark turn that it feels like we are watching a completely different movie. And while Hudson continues to shine nonetheless, Jackman can’t keep up. The actor who was so compelling in the darkly serious Wolverine finale Logan is not quite able to sell Mike’s angst and sadness. 

But writer/director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow, Dolomite Is My Name) doesn’t leave us to wallow in pity for long. He hurries through the bad times. Claire’s accident is only one of the misfortunes the Sardinas face before adding opioid addiction, teen pregnancy, and a disastrous healthcare system to their list of challenges. It is understandable why Brewer would not want to make any of these issues the focus of a story that is ultimately one of joy and love, but his choice to rush through it all and get back to the good times turns the second half into a Very Special Episode of any given 1990s TV show where some terrible twist of fate befalls our favorite characters, but they are able to get through it all and learn some valuable life lesson in under 40 minutes.

And yet, Brewer knows who this movie is for: Neil Diamond’s fans. Those of us who, like Mike Sardina, know there is so much more to him and his music than the exuberant anthem “Sweet Caroline.” Those who enjoy the schmaltzy vibe of songs like “Play Me.” Just as it wasn’t cool to like Neil Diamond back in the day, it may not be cool to admit being entertained and swept up in the earnestness and good intentions of Song Sung Blue. It’s not a great film, but it has the makings of a Christmastime crowd-pleaser. And as hard as this year has been, maybe that’s what we really need.

Grade: B-

Focus Features will release Song Sung Blue wide on Christmas Day.