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Here is a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable true-life story emerging from American showbusiness; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour won’t prepare you for the way the plot frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. Personally, I found my eyes closed and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the seat in front of me tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from previous relationships that during the 1990s created a cheesy homage performance to Neil Diamond named 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 during their performance for an additional song.

But things were far from simple for the pair, and this movie contemplates the difficulty that arises when misfortune's bolt hits repeatedly.

From Documentary to Drama

The film is actually based on an existing documentary of the same title created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was extensively on the family's personal collection of homemade recordings. It’s fair to say that the original documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements in the lives of Mike and Claire.

But that’s not how taken by this movie from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. The director and stars transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and appearing strikingly alike. He is entirely believable as an individual not destined for in the big league but who undoubtedly possesses the talent (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, even though one particular Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. The role of Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Sarcasm and mockery have been meticulously excised from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and replacing them Brewer substitutes 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 business, or indeed making it anywhere and within any profession.

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

The film "Song Sung Blue" releases December 25th in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.