Kate Hudson sings her heart out in shaky 'Song Sung Blue' – Review

• "Song Sung Blue," about a Neil Diamond tribute act, hits theaters on Christmas Day.
• Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson star as Mike and Claire Sardina, who performed together as the Diamond duo Lightning & Thunder.
• The film wrestles with many of the same narrative shortcomings as other music biopics.

Can a major Hollywood star have another breakthrough role later in life? Because that’s what it feels like watching Kate Hudson as a talented Midwestern pop-rock singer in “Song Sung Blue.”

Inspired by a popular Neil Diamond tribute act, director Craig Brewer’s sentimental drama (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Dec. 25) isn’t your average music biopic − even though it, in many ways, plays like others we've seen, for better or for worse. In the case of "Song Sung Blue," the performances overshadow a tonally imbalanced, straightforward life story. Fortunately, Hudson and Hugh Jackman, in total showman mode, make up for the narrative shortcomings as the '90s dynamite duo Lightning & Thunder.

Mike Sardina (Jackman), an alcoholic Vietnam vet 20 years sober, is a Milwaukee singer who likens his Lightning persona to a rock god “like Chuck Berry, Barry Manilow and the Beatles, all rolled into one.” But he hasn’t found the right musical fit and is trying to get out of singing Don Ho songs at the state fair when he meets Claire Stengl (Hudson).

She’s a part-time hairdresser with dreams of performing as well – she can sing the heck out of a Patsy Cline tune, by the way – and she immediately hits it off with fellow divorcé Mike. He hatches the idea to be a Neil Diamond “interpreter” rather than an impersonator (“I’ve gotta be Neil, but I’ve gotta be me,” Mike figures) and she signs on as his partner, in music and romance.

With the help of a couple of managers (Fisher Stevens and Jim Belushi) and Mike’s old guitarist friend (Michael Imperioli), Lightning & Thunder becomes a local hit that keeps getting bigger (almost too quickly for believability). By the time they open for Pearl Jam – at Eddie Vedder’s request – the pair is a full-fledged phenomenon.

Meanwhile, Mike and Claire get married and combine their families. However, every time they begin to have professional success, life smacks them down – for example, Claire getting run over by a car while gardening in their front yard – and they have to find a way to come back stronger together.

But the whiplash is real as the movie bounces from feel-good numbers in the Neil Diamond songbook to just utter heartbreaking tragedy. The first half of “Song Sung Blue” sparkles so much that, when it takes a serious turn and then tries to come back from the brink, it rings bittersweet rather than rousing. While it’s ultimately an inspirational tale of two passionate musicians, the film doesn't sugarcoat anything.

Brewer, best known for “Hustle & Flow,” crafts varying performances − from intimate duets in the living room to huge stage numbers with a band and choir – that make the most of his two leads’ musical skills. Jackman is a Broadway star who’s tailor-made for roles like this, where his rock-star flair and charm seem effortless as he croons “Soolaimon” while the wind blows through his well-coiffed hair and silky shirt.

The bigger headline, however, is: Man, Kate Hudson can sing. She has performed in movies before (like a number in the 2009 musical “Nine”), but between this and her 2024 album “Glorious,” Hudson proves to be a true powerhouse with vocals as rich as a plate of Wisconsin cheese curds. She has strong musical chemistry with Jackman, and also makes the most of a couple of solo numbers, including an emotional version of Diamond’s “I’ve Been This Way Before.”

This movie isn’t just for fans of “The Jewish Elvis.” Mike keeps trying to make the point that the legendary Diamond is more than just “Sweet Caroline” – no one even sings it until the 45-minute mark. The movie nicely deep dives into the songwriter's playlist, from “I Am … I Said” and “Forever in Blue Jeans” to “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Crunchy Granola Suite.”

Even if the storytelling doesn’t totally impress in “Song Sung Blue,” the musicianship will, with Jackman and Hudson doing justice to an American icon. 

When is 'Song Sung Blue' coming out?

The musical drama "Song Sung Blue," starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, is in theaters Dec. 25. It has a run time of two hours and 12 minutes and is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association "for thematic material, some strong language, some sexual material and brief drug use."