Films set around the music of particular artists are very tricky to pull off. There is the matter of marketability, the question of appealing to different demographics, and the issue of whether or not said music is timely or relevant. More often than not, these films run the risk of being misunderstood by younger generations of viewers who might not be familiar with the music. Some movies have made it work well, like An American in Paris (which used show tunes by the Gershwin Brothers) and Singing In The Rain (which incorporated 1920s-era standards while composing new songs exclusively for the plot). Other films like I Want To Hold Your Hand and Across The Universe (both using Beatles’ tunes) were visually interesting, but came up short on meaningful plot and characterizations, proving disappointing at the box office. Detroit Rock City and Rock of Ages both featured hard rock and heavy metal songs, but flopped hard with audiences. Once again, it isn’t easy to prominently weave an artist’s song catalogue into a feature film.

Now, the latest film to tackle this is Song Sung Blue. It is a biographical drama based on the true story of a married couple’s Neil Diamond tribute act titled Lightning & Thunder, which was covered in a 2008 documentary of the same name. Directed by filmmaker Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Footloose, Coming 2 America), the movie stars Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Hudson Hensley, Michael Imperioli, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, and Jim Belushi. It has been well-received by critics and audiences, even earning a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for Hudson. Yet the question remains; does the movie deliver the goods?

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Opening in 1987, Mike Sardina (Jackman) lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and works as a Don Ho impersonator travelling on the performing circuit. He’s also a recovering alcoholic who resolves to do better and tries not to miss Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. One thing that seems to put life into his spirits is the music of Neil Diamond, which he even plays at AA sessions. During an appearance at the Wisconsin State Fair, he gets fed up with the conditions imposed on him because all he wants is to be himself rather than pretending to be Don Ho. Mike encounters a single mother named Claire (Hudson), who’s performing as Patsy Cline. The two discuss music genres and various artists, and Claire suggests that Mike ought to try impersonating Diamond instead. Not long afterwards, Mike and Claire enter into a relationship. They decide to form their own Diamond tribute act, titled Lightning & Thunder. Mike wishes to be a Diamond interpreter rather than doing a mere impersonation, so as to make the duo different from other musical acts.

Lightning & Thunder’s first gig goes poorly, so they resolve to strengthen their act for live settings. Despite his love for Diamond’s music, Mike chafes at the insistence the show must end with “Sweet Caroline”, because he wants to explore and interpret other songs in Diamond’s song catalogue. As his and Claire’s relationship deepens, the duo have to adjust into making a blended family. Claire’s teenage daughter Rachel (Anderson) struggles with accepting Mike, while son Danya (Hensley) is more open to having a new father figure in his life and becomes the duo’s unofficial videographer and archivist. In addition, Mike has a teenage daughter Angelina (Princess) from his first marriage, and she serves as his morality pet and voice of reason in reminding him to attend AA meetings.

As Lightning & Thunder’s act improves, the duo find themselves performing at bigger gigs and larger venues. By 1994, Mike and Claire finally decide to get married. A chance opportunity leads to their opening for grunge rock band Pearl Jam, which they nearly turn down after band vocalist Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith) tries to call them by telephone. The Pearl Jam gig leads them to becoming even more famous throughout the Midwest. While out gardening in their front yard, Claire gets hit by a car that veers off the road, which causes her to lose her left leg above the knee. Upon rushing to the hospital, Mike collapses from a heart attack due to the stress of the situation. As Claire tries to recover from the accident, she finds it hard to heal from the trauma of her accident. She resorts to taking medications as a means of coping with her depression and to alleviate the pain. Consequently, Mike falls into a slump and loses all interest in performing without his wife being by his side. At the urging of Angelina, he returns to attending AA meetings once again. Following Claire having an outburst, Mike and the kids decide to place her in psychiatric care. On top of this, Rachel becomes pregnant after a brief relationship, which places Mike in the role of concerned parent. He has to help Rachel arrange for giving up her child for adoption while overseeing Claire’s recovery and rehabilitation. Now the question remains: can they find a way to perform once again?

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Hugh Jackman is in fine form as Mike Sardina. The Australian actor proves himself to be versatile and likeable in his role. Having starred in Les Misérables and The Greatest Showman, he is well within his element as a performer onscreen. While he doesn’t try to come off as a Diamond impersonator (as per the character’s wishes), Jackman succeeds in reinterpreting the singer’s greatest hits for the film. As a result, he gives a new, fresh spin on Diamond’s songs for viewers. Despite being a bit older during the majority of the film’s events, Jackman makes the part his own and succeeds in giving a compelling performance.

Kate Hudson delivers a stunning turn as Claire. Ever since shooting to stardom with Almost Famous and Remember The Titans, the actress is quite believable in depicting a single mother’s attempts to make a life for her children while trying to make it as a singer. Her scenes set in the wake of Claire’s accident are both heartbreaking and difficult to watch. The result is devastating and painful for viewers, as Hudson conveys the traumas of having to overcome a tragedy. She does not play it as a cliché or overact; rather, the result is deeply nuanced and uncomfortable to behold.

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The rest of the cast does well with the material they’re given. King Princess does well in capturing Angelina’s angst and uncertainty over her new family dynamic and the impending pregnancy. Ella Anderson succeeds in making Rachel a troubled, uncertain teenager coping with changes in her life. Hudson Hensley brings a likeable quality to Danya, and his banter with Jackman feels genuine. Michael Imperioli of The Sopranos fame plays guitarist Mark Shurilla, and he proves to be a welcome delight with his Buddy Holly impersonation. John Beckwith plays Eddie Vedder with a mixture of swagger and amiability without coming off as a cliché rockstar. Comedian Jim Belushi plays Tom D’Amato in a surprisingly serious performance, which is a departure from his usual comedic roles.

Since this is a Neil Diamond tribute, music is at the forefront of the film. A number of Diamond’s songs feature within the plot, such as “Cherry, Cherry”, “I’m a Believer”, “Forever In Blue Jeans”, “Play Me”, “Crunchy Granola Suite”, “I’ve Been This Way Before”, “Song Sung Blue”, “I Am…. I Said”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show”, “Holly Holy”, and the aforementioned “Sweet Caroline”. Oddly enough, Diamond’s mega-hits “America”, “Love On the Rocks”, and “Red Red Wine” don’t feature in the film or on the soundtrack. In addition, there are songs by other artists included in the movie, such as Patsy Cline’s “Walking After Midnight”, Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy” and “Every Day”, and the Esquires’ “Get On Up”.

Par for the course in Hollywood, the film takes some artistic license with the Sardina’s story. For example, Mike and Claire’s relationship begins to take shape shortly after their first encounter, whereas they did not start dating right away in the real life. Also, the circumstances of the meeting were slightly different; instead of touring with Mike on the impersonator circuit, Claire met her future husband by auditioning for his rock band. While the film depicts them falling in love right away and starting their act, the Lightning & Thunder duo did not take shape until a few years later during 1989. The real Claire explained it was initially meant to be a business partnership, but romance evolved into romance over time.

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In addition, Mike had an older son named Michael Sardina Jr., but he was entirely left out of the movie. One can expect this was due to condensing the story and putting a deeper focus on the main characters. Furthermore, the film’s depiction of Claire’s accident is largely accurate, but in reality, it took place a couple of years after the Pearl Jam show instead of a year. The film omits a second car accident which took place on the Sardina property two years after the first, but nobody was injured in that crash. Perhaps the film’s biggest departure involves a planned meeting between the Sardinas and Diamond that doesn’t happen due to a shocking tragedy. In reality, Claire did not meet Diamond until 2008- two years after Mike’s death.

Overall, Song Sung Blue is a great film. Brewer manages to get great performances out of Jackman, Hudson, Princess, Anderson, Hensley, and Belushi. The soundtrack is also a pleasing, crowd-friendly effort. One can safely assume that Neil Diamond would be deeply proud of the finished product (which he undoubtedly is). Four out of five stars.