'Song Sung Blue' Review: Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson Can't Elevate the Sappy Notes in Neil Diamond Tribute Band Bio-Drama
We haven’t had a Christmas-released drama that tries to be Oscar bait but has such an incredibly crazy and unbalanced story that it leaves you speechless with how badly it was put together since Collateral Beauty (2016). Even with an outstanding ensemble, the film's shoddy quality cannot be improved. Just as Will Smith could not save that movie, Kate Hudson and, to an extent, Hugh Jackman could not save Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue.
Based on Greg Kohs’ 2008 documentary of the same name, the narrative follows the decade-long relationship of Mike and Claire Sardina, a couple who met in the 1980s in Milwaukee as state fair musician impersonators and formed a Neil Diamond tribute band, “Lightning & Thunder”. In theory, a movie like this beats the umpteenth generic music biopic, though this bizarre hodgepodge of hyperbolic network drama cliches and concert film vibes is full of sour notes.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of Focus Features
MPA Rating: PG-13 (for thematic material, some strong language, some sexual material and brief drug use)
Runtime: 2 Hours and 11 Minutes
Language: English
Production Companies: Davis Entertainment
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Craig Brewer
Writer: Craig Brewer
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi
U.S Release Date: December 25, 2025
Michael Sardina (Hugh Jackman) is a divorced Vietnam War veteran living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the 1980s with a weak heart, 20-year sobriety chip, and a dream to sing. He's a Don Ho tribute artist at the state fair working for his friend Mark Shurilla (Michael Imperioli), a Buddy Holly impersonator and show producer. There, Sardina meets Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson), a Patsy Cline tribute act and fellow divorcee. Sparks fly, and since Mike adores and kind of looks like Neil Diamond, Claire pitches they form a tribute band.
They name the band "Lightning & Thunder" and get their blue-collar friends to join. Mike and Claire soon tie the knot, bringing together Claire's easy-to-please son Dayna (Hudson Hensley) and angsty daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson), and Mike's laid-back daughter who occasionally visits from Florida, Angelina (King Princess). Just as Lightning & Thunder's star is rising with gigs such as headlining for Pearl Jam in their hometown, tragedy strikes. Claire is struck by a car in front of her house, rendering her paraplegic. Facing this new low, Mike and Claire Sadina grapple with a variety of issues as they attempt to reestablish their artistic voice.
Sweet Cast and Lines (Ba Ba Ba)
(L to R) Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina and Kate Hudson as Claire Stengl in director Craig Brewer’s SONG SUNG BLUE, a Focus Features release.
Song Sung Blue is one of those sweet-natured, bubbly dramas that wants to wear its heart on its sleeve that while generic in its plotting, is full of warmth for approximately forty-five minutes. I was hooked by Sadina and Stengl's shared desire to achieve more than the small-town bumpkin cards they're dealt. They're about middle-aged and yet have that insatiable drive of 20-somethings. It’s that infectious Craig Brewer charm that, like Dolomite Is My Name, inspires you to defy life’s empty-handedness by watching a blue-collar team achieve their dreams, flying by the seat of their pants. Hudson and Jackman bring an irresistible joy to these two musicians whose romance stems from their shared fandom of Neil Diamond.
Hugh Jackman, in a way, reprises his role as the gung-ho idealist from The Greatest Showman: the ringleader of a band who can motivate anyone with his fervor and aspirations, but also make him a wife guy. Furthermore, Jackman does a good job emulating Sardina's rugged, albeit typically American, voice.
Kate Hudson, on the other hand, is sublime. I forgot she could sing… yes, I watched Glee as a kid but never watched it again because, well, why would I? I was also impressed by the sheer range of emotion she conveys in her Milwaukee accent, which is consistently effective in both speech and song. This is particularly true at the midpoint, as Claire struggles when she becomes uniped. If her performance in the underrated Netflix comedy Running Point wasn't enough, Song Sung Blue demonstrates her worthiness for more prominent roles on the big screen.
Despite enjoying its rather Hallmark-like cheerfulness in the first half — or Netflix-like, since it also has production value — the moment Claire is startlingly injured by the midpoint of the film marks the beginning of a biblical series of unfortunate events that I found both inappropriately timed and bizarrely toned.
Song Sung Way Too Blue
(L to R) Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina and Kate Hudson as Claire Stengl in director Craig Brewer’s SONG SUNG BLUE, a Focus Features release.
Even if the Sardina's truth is stranger than fiction — like two cars smashed in front of their house, twice — the fictionalized version sets its drama dials to a ten and overwhelmingly hyperbolizes everything at all times.
A perfect example of how strangely it handles the Sardina's experiences is the scene when Claire is rushed to the hospital after the accident. There, Mike almost has a heart attack and calls Rachel to an empty room and asks her to give him a defibrillator from a nearby machine. The movie operates on that batshit insane wavelength, interspersed with a completely schmaltzy tone shift every five minutes or so.
Despite the fact that the film's runtime is overlong and poorly paced at 2 hours and 11 minutes, Brewer devotes more energy to the generic and extensive concert sequences, and in between, only has room to highlight their hardships.
I went to the bathroom during one of many overly saccharine scenes and got back in time to hear Rachel tell Mike she was pregnant. I was so stunned that I almost burst out laughing. Even that is quickly brushed aside… to the point where her birthing scene is part of a montage. I really wanted to call Song Sung Blue "cute" but Craig Brewer, who hasn't written a solo script since 2006’s Black Snake Moan (really?), throws in every dramatic trope and the kitchen sink. His constant mishandling of every dramatic turn shook me like a ragdoll and turned something that was ramping up to be a sweet, cheesy musical drama into a disaster while still expecting that its open-hearted charm and overlong concert sequences would elicit a standing ovation. In reality, it feels like a farce.
FINAL STATEMENT
Despite Hudson's commendable work, this musical biodrama about a couple with a dream and some Sweet Carolines to sing is a never-ending disaster.
Please consider supporting Rendy Reviews. We’re an independent run, Gen-Z and Black-owned entertainment outlet. You can donate to our Paypal or Venmo to help keep our site running. Or become a subscriber for access to 13-years worth of reviews, exclusive interviews, and more! A free way to support is a sign up for the Rendy Reviews’ newsletter and get weekly emails about latest on movie reviews, interviews with film artisans, features, and more.
