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Here is a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining real-life tale 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 like an unsafe fairground ride. I actually had my eyes closed and mouth open at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead with both fists.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from prior unions who in the 90s formed a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they became a cult hit in their home state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song.

However, life was far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on the difficulty that arises when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.

From Documentary to Drama

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary of the same title created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of homemade recordings. One could argue that the original documentary focuses more intently on the unrealistic and ridiculous elements of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. The director and stars transform the mockery into laugh-with. Jackman delivers a masterful performance as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and looking almost like him. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson likewise shines, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world enjoyed a successful career performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, even though one particular Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown act known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess portrays Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – with their developing friendship is another underplayed aspect contributing to the movie's charm.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been surgically removed from Mike and Claire’s dramatically packed life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes which the pair personally would have recognized: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it on the fringes of the music industry, or for that matter making it anywhere and in any business.

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

Song Sung Blue is out on 25 December in the United States and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.