Title: Song Song Blue
Describe This Movie In One The World According to Garp Quote:
T.S. GARP: Honey, the chances of another plane hitting this house are astronomical. It’s been pre-disastered. We’re going to be safe here.
Brief Plot Synopsis: Solitary Man has sworn of Red Red Wine, but finds his Love on the Rocks, which ain’t no surprise when your wife is hit by a car.
Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: 3.5 Shazams out of 5.
Tagline: “Good times never seemed so good.”
Better Tagline: “Not even the chair.”
Not So Brief Plot Synopsis: Mike “Lightning” Sardinia (Hugh Jackman) meets fellow musical tribute artist Claire Cartwight (Kate Hudson) on the Wisconsin carnival circuit. The two bond over a love for Neil Diamond’s music, joining forces to form Lightning and Thunder, a Neil Diamond experience. But when Claire suffers a grievous accident, the fate of the group — and their marriage — is put to the test.
“Critical” Analysis: There’s gold in them thar golden years.
Song Sung Blue, the 2008 documentary and inspiration for Craig Brewer’s fictional retelling, knew this. “Lighting and Thunder” played throughout the upper Midwest and even ended up performing at Summerfest in their native Wisconsin. And like Craig Kohs’ original, Brewer’s version only lightly mocks its audience, aiming instead for a sappy and occasionally sobering approach.
Mike and Claire meet cute by sharing personal histories while Diamond’s music washes over us like a … “Beautiful Noise” (Neil reference). Brewer shoots it in such a way that it’s going to appeal to, let’s call it a “certain demographic.” Everything starts off in service to this nostalgia quirk, from Jim Belushi as Tom, the bus driver-cum-manager to Michael Imperioli’s Mark, the Buddy Holly impersonator turned L&T guitarist. Even ostensible enemies like Mike and Claire’s daughters become fast friends.
The band’s first gig, at a biker bar, ends in a brawl. A cute brawl, with Jackman angrily teeing off on a guy saying, “Neil Diamond sucks.” Then Mike proposes to Claire. A wedding follows, along with more and larger gigs. It all culminates with a slot opening for Pearl Jam (where Eddie Vedder joins them for “Forever in Blue Jeans”) and a casino residence.
And then, tragedy strikes. It’s not exactly a spoiler, but an accident befalls Claire and throws both their lives and career into chaos. Thus begins the Not Fun portion of Song Sung Blue, as Claire sinks into depression and Mike contemplates jumping off the wagon. The shift is jarring, especially if you’re not expecting it. Things get pretty weepy, with Claire struggling to regain her strength even as other family travails arise.
It feels a bit unfair to call out Brewer for piling on the melodrama (in fairness, the timing of “I’m A Believer” is a bit on the nose). But the Dolemite Is My Name director knows exactly what he’s doing. The first half goes heavy on sentimentality and feel good vibes precisely to yank the rug out from under us. The inevitable triumphant comeback that results is both entirely expected and damned effective.
Song Sung Blue closes with a triumphant ND medley, and while the movie may not win any Oscars, Jackman and — especially — Hudson give it their all. You can always rely on the once and future Wolverine to go heavy on the syrup. Hudson, on the other hand, displays the vulnerability and pathos we first glimpsed in Almost Famous, before a decade and change of forgettable rom-coms.
Hell, I didn’t even dislike Jim Belushi. That’s saying something.
And the movie ends before even getting to what, to me, is the most heartwarming part. Days before the documentary was set to screen at Slamdance, Greg Kohs was informed that the music publisher wouldn’t license the use of Neil Diamond’s music in the doc. In desperation, Kohs called Eddie Vedder, who got the movie in front of Diamond. The singer loved the film and gave his blessing.
So Song Sung Blue’s sentimentalism comes from an honest place. Even if the real-life Mike and Claire don’t really resemble Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Still, if now isn’t the time for a feel-good story, I don’t know what is.
Song Sung Blue is in theaters Christmas Day. The original documentary is also on YouTube. You should watch it.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.