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This film presents a startlingly strange, undeniably entertaining real-life tale emerging from the American entertainment world; an endearing hit whose feelgood flavour does little to warn you for how the narrative frequently and brutally turns like an unsafe fairground ride. Personally, I found my eyes closed with my jaw agape during several crucial moments, and was grabbing the chair ahead with both fists.

The Unbelievable True Tale

Mike and Claire Sardina, superbly portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, were a Milwaukee married couple with kids from prior unions that during the 1990s created a kitschy homage performance to Neil Diamond called Lightning and Thunder; they grew into an underground sensation in their home state and even performed before Pearl Jam, with the band's guitarist Eddie Vedder good-naturedly joined them during their performance for an additional song.

But things were far from simple for the pair, and this film broods on how tough it is when misfortune's bolt strikes more than once.

Adapting a Real Story

The film is actually based on a prior documentary film bearing the identical name from 2008 by Greg Kohs about this stranger-than-fiction world, a film that was heavily reliant on the family's personal collection of home video. One could argue that the original documentary puts more emphasis on the delusional and absurd aspects in the lives of Mike and Claire.

Yet this is not the approach this film from writer-director Craig Brewer reinvents their story. He, Jackman and Hudson transform the mockery into shared amusement. Jackman absolutely crushes it as a Neil Diamond impersonator, sounding almost like him, and appearing strikingly alike. 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 headline a performance.

Standout Performances

Hudson is also excellent, doing her own singing as Claire, who prior to partnering with Mike in the world of Neil Diamond homage had a thriving act performing as Patsy Cline. She is shown powerfully singing Cline's songs, even though one particular Cline standard is curiously omitted from this movie.

Actor Michael Imperioli portrays a Buddy Holly tribute artist named Mark, while Mustafa Shakir appears as a James Brown act 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 – and their burgeoning friendship is another underplayed aspect contributing to the movie's charm.

The Core Narrative

Sarcasm and mockery have been meticulously excised from the account of Mike and Claire's dramatically packed life experiences, and in their place Brewer substitutes those attributes which the pair personally would have been aware of: the vulnerability and loneliness of trying to make it on the fringes of the music industry, or indeed succeeding in any field and in any business.

This is a tale of relentless perseverance and its bright hopefulness renders it a rich holiday delight.

Song Sung Blue is out on 25 December in the US and 1 January in Australia and the UK.