In Song Sung Blue, Wolverine goes Badger by playing a lovable and determined Wisconsinite who starts a Neil Diamond tribute band with his wife, who looks a lot like a Midwestern version of Kate Hudson. If Song Sung Blue isn’t a hit this holiday season, society is doomed.
Entertaining, well-meaning, and surprisingly moving, Song Sung Blue will appeal to anyone who has at least minor appreciation for Neil Diamond’s music. Except for the most discerning critics, biopics tend to work better when you like the musician’s music. That’s why I thoroughly enjoyed the Bohemian Rhapsody, warts and all, and couldn’t sit through Better Man (what kind of awful music was that?). I’m no Neil Diamond groupie, but I could listen to “Sweet Caroline” all day long.
Song Sung Blue isn’t your normal biopic, however. Mike and Claire Sardina (Jackman and Hudson) are Thunder and Lightning, who became local legends in the Milwaukee area despite multiple near-tragedies along the way. Their story, no matter how embellished for the big screen, makes for the perfect blend of uplifting entertainment and sobering doses of harsh reality.
Jackman is terrific here, and Hudson matches him step for step. The two have great chemistry with one another, and both make for charming protagonists. Song Sung Blue is a mainstream, music-infused crowd pleaser, but writer/director Craig Brewer and his cast take the story deeper than you’d expect given the subject matter. What we get is a layered if not still somewhat sugar-coated drama that allows both stars to flex their acting muscles in unexpected ways.
Song Song Blue isn’t a bar-raiser, but if you’re a fan of Neil Diamond’s catalogue and looking for a good way to spend two hours, this journey with Thunder and Lightning offers more than sparks.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.