Review: ‘Song Sung Blue’

A Neil Diamond biopic might sound like an idea whose time has passed, and that’s probably right. Fortunately, Song Sung Blue isn’t a Neil Diamond movie at all. Sure, it’s about two people who love the iconic performer, but you could almost have it be about an appreciation of any singer’s music, and how that appreciation led to acceptance, love, and strength in the wake of hardship. It’s an incredible true story, almost too amazing to be believed, delivered with passion and joy by director Craig Brewer and the perfectly cast Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

Jackman’s gifts as a multi-talented showman are well-known, but I think Hudson gets unjustly overlooked. I think that’s going to change with Song Sung Blue, where she gives the performance of her career as Claire, one half of the blue-collar Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder. Jackman plays her partner in music and in life, Mike “Lightning” Sardina, who is sick of doing the same ol’ tired impersonations for middling Wisconsin crowds. He wants more. Specifically, he wants to be more of himself when performing on stage. Casually meeting Claire at a show, the two instantly hit it off and decide to show their love of Neil Diamond by forming a tribute band. It isn’t long before the sparks are flying romantically, too.

Song Sung Blue is less about Neil Diamond than it is the working-class struggles of Mike and Claire, who invest everything into their act and, at first, don’t have a lot to show for it. Brewer is well-known for directing Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan, and Dolemite Is My Name, all films featuring the hardships of the artistically inclined. Here, he’s also balancing romantic drama elements and doing so with a lighter touch. Even when things go bad for Lightning and Thunder, the film never gets too down. When Claire and Mike merge their families together, we would expect friction between the rebellious daughters forced into this blended family. Instead, the sudden half-sisters (played by pop star King Princess and Hudson Henley) become best friends and, more importantly, a support valve for their parents, who can sometimes be their own worst enemies when times get tough.

Arriving on Christmas Day, Song Sung Blue is perfect for this time of year. The film invites you to bask in Lightning and Thunder’s incredible rise to fame, and to indulge in the career highlights. That includes opening for Pearl Jam (a band Mike had never heard of) and even playing on stage with Eddie Vedder. And if you do happen to be a Neil Diamond fan, it features many of his greatest hits and yes, he had more great songs than “Sweet Caroline!” Fortunately, the film doesn’t overuse it, offering a wide selection of Diamond classics. It doesn’t shock me in the least that some of the buzz surrounding Song Sung Blue is that it’s a bit mawkish. Maybe in the final act, which feels like a contrived Hollywood ending cooked up in a lab, but the rest is genuinely heartfelt and designed to send the audience home happy, humming a tune.

Song Sung Blue hits theaters on Christmas Day via Focus Features.