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Here is a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining real-life tale emerging from American showbusiness; a lovable crowdpleaser with its uplifting tone won’t prepare you for how the plot frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. Personally, I found my eyes closed with my jaw agape at certain key points, and was grabbing the seat in front of me with both fists.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, terrifically played by Jackman and Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple who had children from prior unions that during the 1990s formed a cheesy Neil Diamond tribute act named Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation in their home state and even opened for Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them on stage for an encore.

But things were far from simple for the pair, 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 an existing documentary of the same title from 2008 from filmmaker Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a movie that relied heavily reliant on the couple’s family archive of home video. One could argue that the 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 turn the laugh-at into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it portraying a Neil Diamond tribute artist, vocalizing in a remarkably similar manner, and looking almost like him. He’s perfectly plausible as someone who isn’t supposed to be in the big league but who clearly has the chops (and the vocal cords) to carry a show.

Standout Performances

Hudson likewise shines, performing her own vocals as Claire, who before she joined Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage had a thriving act as Patsy Cline. She is shown belting out Cline numbers, even though one particular iconic Cline tune that this film interestingly misses out.

Michael Imperioli plays a Buddy Holly impersonator named Mark, and Mustafa Shakir is a James Brown performer called Sex Machine. The role of Claire's teenage daughter Rachel is played by Ella Anderson, and King Princess portrays Mike's daughter Angelina who is around the same age – with their developing friendship serving as another subtle element of the film’s likability.

The Core Narrative

Sarcasm and mockery have been surgically removed from the account of Mike and Claire's heart-stoppingly eventful life stories, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes that the couple themselves would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness of trying to make it on the fringes of the music business, or indeed succeeding in any field and in any business.

It is a tale of relentless perseverance and its cheerful optimism makes it a calorific Christmas treat.

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