In Milwaukee during the 1980s, a musician named Mike Sardina (played by Hugh Jackman) struggles with his unfulfilling career as a singer impersonator and wants to go professional as his stage name ‘’Lightning’’ but can’t find a unique twist that’d help him stand out. He eventually meets Claire (played by Kate Hudson), a fellow singer impersonator who he becomes instantly smitten with and proposes the two start a tribute band for singer, Neil Diamond, named ‘’Lightning and Thunder’’.
After an early rough patch, the duo has a string of very successful shows and develop a bustling fanbase, which results in a very cheery home life that Mike now shares with Claire and her two children, Rachel and Dayna (played by Ella Anderson and Hudson Hensley). While things all look great on the surface, trouble starts to emerge after a critical accident throws Claire into a depression which puts a stop to all ‘’Lightning and Thunder’’ activity. With Mike’s past issues with alcoholism stirring back up as they lose everything they fought so hard to obtain, these two will need to get back on the same wavelength to continue doing right by an artist they hold in such high regard.
SONG SUNG BLUE probably won’t magnify public awareness for this duo, but for those who are curious or have a strong love for anything Neil Diamond, they’ll be offered a flick that goes above musical pandering and does provide something uplifting and fun. It doesn’t dive enough into its characters or premise to be entirely memorable or interesting, and the familiar tropes of the genre are getting dull to witness at this point, but with appropriate direction, lively visuals and a very charming cast, it’s at least worth a listen.
While biopics surrounding musicians are all the rage nowadays, it’s developed a cinematic checklist that has become predictable at this point, going so far as to make true stories feel manufactured due to how consistent some aspects are. SONG SUNG BLUE somewhat avoids this stereotype by not following the singer in question, but rather a group of impersonators who had the ability and passion to create a legacy for themselves, and the ambiguity of this duo made their cinematic outing feel a little more unpredictable to witness unfold. It still has a very simple outline with not too many unexpected curves, but it doesn’t pretend to be a grand story and at least tries to entertain its viewers in an innocently cheery fashion.
It felt like a smart choice to get director, Craig Brewer, to lead this film, as he’s shown the capacity to present a story that offers an unusual perspective on a traditional creative space with Hustle & Flow and Dolemite is My Name as well as an affinity for music-led features, and his specific style helps liven up what could’ve been a pretty standardly delivered flick. It has a lively, preppy side to it that comes out through the passionate performances, music and imagery, but never goes so far as to take itself out of reality.
It does keep you invested enough in the characters and situation to keep you entertained, and while the plot is pretty minute and isn’t a setup that really requires a cinematic portrayal, it has enough razzle-dazzle to say that it didn’t waste its time. With that said, while arguably better than expected, it feels like only die-hard Neil Diamond fans will really get a lot out of this movie. The story takes a lot from the similarly titled 2008 documentary by Greg Kohs, but while that was able to probably provide a deep dive into the specifics of this duo’s story and their personal struggles, this movie can feel a bit surface-level when it comes to those aspects. The script (also written by Brewer) isn’t necessarily bad and isn’t overwhelmed with unbearable tropes but also doesn’t offer much in terms of memorable content or extremely gripping drama and therefore isn’t offering enough new to feel that special.
While the story of Mike and Claire Sardina should be acknowledged for their contribution to the musical space at the time, it’s a little annoying the film doesn’t really explore singer impersonators and their unique style of performance but instead chooses to focus solely on the blossoming bond and eventual success of Lightning and Thunder. This isn’t a bad thing and these two come across as very charming and talented thanks to Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, but when it comes to deep character study or learning the ins-and-outs of these musicians, it falls a little short.
Hudson clearly has the most to work with given the peaks and valleys her character goes through, and she nicely demonstrates her capacity to be funny, charming, musically gifted and even dramatic when required, but because the script isn’t very inventive and doesn’t really get knuckle-deep into either character’s mental struggles, the turmoil isn’t as gripping and can result in the film becoming overly sombre in parts without much backing.
Jackman is as charismatic as ever and makes every song sequence brim with life but not only is his character far more basic by comparison, but even his singing is a bit of an acquired taste. While clearly capable as a singer, his Broadway history results in a specific form of annunciation and tone that doesn’t always mesh with more natural settings and songs and therefore can feel a bit off in moments.
The rest of the supporting cast don’t have a ton of character or even that much narrative purpose but are carried by good actors who can bring a lot of charm and energy. Ella Anderson is actually really good as the teenage daughter, which can also be said for Hudson Hensley and King Princess as Jackman’s other daughter, Fisher Stevens, Michael Imperioli and Mustafa Shakir are good as the people who help the duo build their brand, and Jim Belushi brings a comedic-leaning but never overbearing touch as the duo’s manager, creating an ensemble who’re pretty standard in terms of characteristics and role, but are made memorable through their execution.
The fact that this team is on the smaller side and more known for performing in bars and an occasional concert hall, means that any form of grandeur shouldn’t be expected, but it’s nice that the film still put in the effort to look nice. It’s true that it is a lot more down-to-earth, with relatively simple cinematography and editing within the more casual moments and settings, but things fittingly become livelier when a song starts playing. Song Sung Blue isn’t a musical in the traditional sense, but does contain a lot of singing, and while most of the numbers are fairly standard and not that memorable (although Soolaimon is pretty catchy and everyone loves Sweet Caroline), they are performed and visualized very nicely.
The cinematography by Amy Vincent and the editing by Billy Fox has a rhythm to it that knows how to get the audience into the moment, and the prominent coloration that comes out in these moments whether through the stage lighting or even the costuming done by Ernesto Martinez, really make these fairly normal looking environments pop with vibrancy and sparkle. It’s hard to say if this film is going to convince non-Neil Diamond fans to check out his music, but it will satisfy die-hard supporters.
SONG SUNG BLUE could’ve been a lot more predictable and basic if not for the people who helped bring it to life, but considering this story doesn’t really have a ton to say about its subject matter nor gives much depth to its two leading figures, it’s no surprise that it isn’t the massive success other musician-led films have been able to achieve. For what it is, the movie is quite well directed, very well performed, and energetically visualised and sung, but with a script that portrays the drama with a sense of sap, and characters that could be seen in a number of other movies, the film will have to be comfortable remaining as just endearingly sweet.
