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Here is a startlingly strange, certainly enjoyable real-life tale emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone does little to warn you for the way the plot frequently and brutally turns similar to a precarious carnival attraction. Personally, I found myself shutting my eyes with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the chair ahead tightly with my hands.

The Unbelievable True Tale

The couple Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were spouses from Milwaukee with kids from prior unions that during the 1990s formed a kitschy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they became an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder amiably accompanied them on stage for an additional song.

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

The film is actually based on a prior documentary film of the same title created in 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the family's personal collection 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.

Yet this is not the approach this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reimagines their tale. 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 is entirely believable 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, doing her own singing in the role of Claire, who before she joined Mike in the Neil Diamond tribute world had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, although there is one iconic Cline tune is curiously omitted from this movie.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer known as Sex Machine. The role of Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess portrays Mike’s daughter Angelina of about the same age – and their burgeoning friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Heart of the Story

Sarcasm and mockery have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life experiences, and replacing them Brewer installs those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the fragility and isolation of trying to make it on the fringes of the music business, or indeed succeeding in any field and in any business.

This is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism renders it a rich holiday delight.

The film "Song Sung Blue" is out December 25th in the US and January 1st in Australia and the United Kingdom.