OPENING CHRISTMAS DAY! Writer-director Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue is the true story of two working-class performers who find each other amid a tribute-band cavalcade. There, they build a life out of sheer stubborn love for the spotlight and one another. Here’s how they turn a busted-up dream into a full-blown Neil Diamond experience.
Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) is a small-time musician from Milwaukee, bouncing between poorly paid country-fair tribute-band gigs and AA meetings. Mike doesn’t have much, but what he does have is a never-ending desire to perform in front of crowds, no matter the size. One night, he refuses to perform as Don Ho and decides then and there that he will only perform as his rock star persona, Lightning. As he’s being kicked out of the green room (more tent), he sees Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson), a struggling single mother who cuts hair by day and performs a Patsy Cline act by night.
The two first connect as musicians and lovers. Then they form their own group, and together Mike and Claire become Lightning and Thunder, a Neil Diamond Experience. Practicing in garages and taking gigs with the help of their manager, Dr. Dave Watson (Fisher Stevens), and promoter Tom D’Amato (Jim Belushi), the pair begins to gain notoriety and build an enthusiastic fan base.
Soon, Mike and Claire take their relationship and partnership to the next level by getting married and, in Brady Bunch-like fashion, bringing their kids together, including Mike’s daughter, Angelina (King Princess), and Claire’s kids, Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Dayna (Hudson Hensley). In fact, they are allowed to open for Pearl Jam. Just as Lightning and Thunder are about to make it on the national scene, tragedy strikes.
(L to R) Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina and Kate Hudson as Claire Stengl in director Craig Brewer’s SONG SUNG BLUE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2025 All Rights Reserved.
“…together Mike and Claire become Lightning and Thunder, a Neil Diamond Experience.”
Song Sung Blue is one of my favorite movies of the year. It all has to do with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson’s performances, along with a touching script by Craig Brewer and Greg Kohs. What makes this story so compelling is not only that it is true, but also that Mike Sardina and Claire Stengl are us. They are normal people who want to perform and bring happiness to the world.
Mike Sardina is hardly a perfect man. He has one serious flaw (aside from being an alcoholic) that he keeps hidden, but he’s full of love for Claire, her children, and the people who come to his show. He’s a principled man with a big heart and no money. Claire stands by her man, supporting his dream, and as you’ll see in the movie, she undergoes a pretty serious character arc as well.
One outstanding performance is Ella Anderson as Rachel. She’s a teen who is forced to grow up fast. She’s a free spirit, and Mike manages to rein her in and give her purpose and meaning in life. She’s also asked to do something that no child should ever have to do to their parent—let alone a stepparent.
The real star is Neil Diamond’s music. No doubt he is American music’s most prolific songwriter, whose albums and singles are still beloved by massive audiences today. No matter what happens in the roller-coaster life of Mike and Claire, it’s Neil Diamond, and his music touches everyone who hears it. The entire Thai restaurant/karaoke plot will have you in tears. Yes, I was getting a little weepy by the end.
The best stories are the ones where we can walk in the protagonists’ shoes and come out better people in the end. In Song Sung Blue, Mike and Claire are good people, and in return, we want to see nothing but the best for them. In a world that is fiercely divided, the only thing that can bring the world together is music and Neil Diamond.
"…will have you in tears."
