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In Craig Brewer’s new awards season hopeful, Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson portray the two leads of Lighting & Thunder, the Neil Diamond tribute band that performed from the late ‘80s well into the ‘90s. While watching a film about a scrappy, underdog duo may sound more fun and sincere than your average music biopic, Song Sung Blue is made with such falsely constructed schmaltz that it manages to fall into that camp anyway.
Jackman plays Mike, a recovering alcoholic, Vietnam War vet and stubborn musical impersonator who crosses paths with Claire, a singer and single mother played by Hudson. The two connect over their shared love for music, as well as struggles in raising their kids after previous divorces. The film starts off relatively breezy as Mike and Claire meet at a state impersonators show; when Brewer’s script initially leans more silly, there’s undeniable charm in watching Jackman and Hudson find harmony.
Everything changes about halfway through when Claire suffers a life-altering injury in a car accident, stopping Lightning & Thunder’s momentum right in its tracks; Claire must figure out how to find her artistic voice again while Mike finds a restaurant gig that keeps him singing. Yes, this film is based on a true story, with Greg Kohs’ 2008 documentary serving as inspiration, but that doesn’t excuse the way Song Sung Blue handles such a tonally bizarre shift.
Taking such a 180 might’ve worked on the page as the film’s attempts to hit every spectrum of emotion, but everything is played far too broad and theatrical for the big screen. Jackman, an incredibly talented performer in his own right, feels particularly shafted by the directing. When his character’s health struggles in the last third of the film, he’s asked to play things so on-the-nose. Maybe there wasn’t trust that the audience could get more subtle hints, but for a character so intent on hiding his issues from even his loved ones, it’s almost hard to believe no one saw the warning signs (at least as presented).
Hudson, who has been receiving a fair share of buzz for her work, gives the best performance in the cast, but this is not quite the “comeback” role that makes full use of her talents in the way Almost Famous did. Hudson shines in her moments on stage, where we can feel how fundamentally important singing is to her character, but her performance loses some edge during argument scenes with Jackman.
The biggest issue here lies in the writing and how scenes often feel like building blocks rather than organic moments. Take the scene 30 minutes in when Claire and Mike’s (Ella Anderson and King Princess) daughters are left alone and forced to bond by their parents. They each go into the scene having no interest in engaging even the slightest bit of conversation. After briefly talking about struggles with their respective “f*cked-up family history,” the initial awkwardness immediately fades. They form a fun sister-like dynamic, but it doesn’t feel earned on the page, nor does it advance at all throughout the rest of the film.
Nuance is thrown out the door at every turn. For a film that’s trying to have broad appeal in time for the holiday season, that doesn’t have to inherently be a bad thing, but you can have broad appeal without disrespecting your audience’s intelligence. Brewer does himself favors here by highlighting some of Neil Diamond’s lesser-known songs. There’s a fun back-and-forth between Mike and Claire about playing the song everyone shows up to hear (Sweet Caroline) versus the opener Mike feels truly passionate about (Soolaimon). Hearing Mike and Claire sing these tunes is delightful in moments, but this film is too calculated to actually hit every musical note it’s straining for.
Grade: C-
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Song Sung Blue
Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
Release Date: December 25, 2025
Director: Craig Brewer
Cast: Hugh Jackman , Kate Hudson , Michael Imperioli
