Song Sung Blue

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

[mr_rating_result]

From Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow”) comes “Song Sung Blue,” a real-life biopic centering on the musician partnership and love life between Mike and Claire Sardina who created the duo Lightning and Thunder chiefly covering Neil Diamond hits.

Unapologetically feel-good in tone, the film counteracts any possible sickly-sweet setbacks through the great heart and spirit of headliners Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in lead roles.

Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) is a car mechanic and aspiring musician who does cover songs in small venues. He dreams of more, specifically of being taken seriously as a musician in his own right. While agreeing to appear as Don Ho for his friend Mark Shurilla (Michael Imperioli) Mike abruptly refuses, wanting to attempt a tune by Neil Diamond. When Mike doesn’t get consent, he drops out. Instead, he catches the eye of Claire Stingl (Kate Hudson), a Patsy Cline impersonator.

After a date at an amusement park in Wisconsin, Mike proposes the idea of a Neil Diamond “interpretation” to Claire, with herself as a backup vocalist.

Mike and Claire bond. Mike meets Claire’s happy-go-lucky son Dayna (Hudson Hensley) and her non-plussed daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson). Rachel fuses with Mike’s daughter Angelina (King Princess).

Gradually, a popularity takes hold with small crowds won over by Mike and Claire’s good cheer and their sexy yet sweet charm.

Mike goes to AA meetings and Claire gardens while each good-natured appearance leads to roars of applause. One day, Mike gets an unknown phone call from Eddie Vedder, asking Lightning and Thunder to open for Pearl Jam in a sold-out crowd.

First and foremost, it is the amiable chemistry of Jackman and Hudson that glue this film together. There are also affectionate and rousing musical segments highlighting the verve and the sentimental glitz (and a bit of chintzy allure) the concoction of what makes Neil Diamond so popular.

This is an American Romance with great spirit. The dramatic moments: the car crash (there are two crashes) and Mike’s heart attacks could be handled with lots of handwringing but instead contains real emotion and authentic pathos.

Hudson and Jackman excel in the naturalistic drama scenes as well as the musical passages which show genuine charge and some theatrical schmaltz and some slight truth bending involving Pearl Jam.

Young Hudson Hensley, as Mike’s son, is effortless in his free joy and his jubilant expression just about steals the show.

This is a kind of coming-of-age story for the baby boomer set, a hybrid fantasy love story of theatrical life within a great struggle. The musical numbers will have you dancing a virtual Samba. Between a life of illusion and magic there exists a tangible love between Mike and Claire Sardina through thick and thin along every guitar stroke or drum beat.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com