(M) ★★★★
Director: Craig Brewer.
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi, King Princess, Hudson Hensley.
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| "Jerry was a race car driver, he drove so goddamn fast..." |
Music can do weird things to you.
It can be a quiet private moment. It can soundtrack a marriage or a funeral or a romance or a workout. It can stir emotions and passions. It can make you dance or sing or do all kinds of stupid stuff.
In the case of Mike and Claire Sardina, the subjects of the 2008 doco Song Sung Blue, it got under their skin and into their blood, like a drug, becoming an addiction. It was the fuel of dreams, almost to the point of delusion.
In this vaguely fictionalised take on Greg Kohs' kooky slice-of-life documentary, that same theme of following your dream is strong (though the delusion is dialed down). This adaptation keeps so much of the reality but does a great job of fitting the facts into a biopic narrative, so that while the story changes, the heart of it shines through even stronger than in the doco.
Song Sung Blue follows Mike and Claire through their careers as Lightning and Thunder, two singers from the nostalgia circuit who team-up to become a Neil Diamond tribute act and fall in love along the way. As their career waxes and wanes amid some incredible hardships, the musicians follow their dreams of becoming entertainers and sharing Neil Diamond's music with the world (or at the very least the Great Lakes region of America).
Fans of the doco might feel this has buffed off the original's rough edges, and Mike and Claire are certainly more sympathetic in this than in the doco, where their inadequacies and delusions are laid bare. Here, these foibles become heroic flaws to ensure we never stop cheering them on. There's a feeling of pity in the doco that is missing from the film, with this version leaning into the hope and heart, rather than making them look like low class fools.
It's also easy to cheer these two starry-eyed middle-aged lovebirds when they're inhabited by Hudson and Jackman. Indeed, Hudson in particular is magnetic as Claire AKA Thunder, impressing with her vocal chops as much as her wide-ranging performance. And we all know Jackman can sing, but his uncanny rendition of Diamond's voice is truly impressive, and matched by another workmanlike performance by the Aussie star. Also a joy to watch in this, and I never thought I'd type these words, is Jim Belushi, giving a delightfully goofy "aw shucks" turn as the duo's co-manager.
The story wrings a lot of emotion out of the story - more than the documentary. Again, this may not be to all tastes, but for mine, this fictionalised retelling is punchier, more heartfelt, and yet still (mostly) true to its subjects. Just with fewer cigarettes, a bigger house, and less of a "white trash" overture to it all.
Both the doco and the new version are, at their heart, tales of little people dreaming big, and refusing to back down when the universe says "no". It's soulful and sad and weirdly uplifting, filled with a great soundtrack to remind you of Diamond's incredible songwriting skills.
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