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Here is a remarkably odd, undeniably entertaining true-life story from the heartland of the American entertainment world; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour won’t prepare you for how the plot repeatedly and savagely twists similar to a precarious carnival attraction. I actually had my eyes closed with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands.

The Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from previous relationships who in the 90s formed a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation within their state and even performed before Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them during their performance for an encore.

But things were not easy for them, and this movie contemplates how tough it is when the lightning of ill fortune strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

It is in fact adapted from an existing documentary bearing the identical name created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied extensively on the couple’s family archive of home video. One could argue that the original documentary focuses more intently on the delusional and absurd aspects of Mike and Claire’s life.

But that’s not how taken by this movie 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 an individual not destined for in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to headline a performance.

Notable Acting

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act as Patsy Cline. The film depicts her belting out Cline numbers, even though one particular Cline standard that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator called Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. Ella Anderson plays Claire’s teen daughter Rachel, and King Princess is Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – and their burgeoning friendship is another underplayed aspect of the film’s likability.

The Core Narrative

Irony and satire have been meticulously excised from Mike and Claire’s heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and in their place Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have recognized: the vulnerability and loneliness of trying to make it in the margins of the music industry, or indeed making it anywhere and in any business.

This is a never-say-die story and its bright hopefulness renders it a rich holiday delight.

The film "Song Sung Blue" releases on 25 December in the United States and 1 January in Australia and the UK.