Song Sung Blue

 

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is an adaptation of the documentary of the same name, which follows real-life musicians, Lightning and Thunder. This pair were an acclaimed Neil Diamond tribute band who found some very real small-time fame and success before tragedy struck them and their family.

I didn't really know much about Lightning and Thunder, nor have I listened to a whole lot of Neil Diamond going into this. I was initially captivated by the eccentric characters, the cover artist scene, but most significantly, by the chemistry between our two leads. This film sets up a love story between Lightning and Thunder that feels so relatable, as if it could happen to anyone. He is this cover musician who is a recovering alcoholic with a daughter living in a whole other city, while she's a single Mum raising two kids who finds joy in singing. They could be a collision or awful for one another. But they ignite something passionate together and craft a musical experience that pulls people in. It is an electric feeling watching this duo perform together, and it will leave you grinning and humming along in your seat. The flip side to this? Lightning and Thunder went through some trauma, which is difficult to see play out, but it makes for good drama. Watching Claire/Thunder lose her sense of purpose and self after losing her leg was gruelling, and the effect that event had on the family was difficult to watch played out as well. I liked the little difficulties too; Rachel having to lean on Lightning/Mike after she discovers she is pregnant while her Mum is in a psychiatric facility is a significant scene. I felt that whole final concert like a ghost hanging over my shoulder as we learn of Mike's fate; it was a very sobering conclusion to this narrative.

The soundtrack for this film is excellent and hits the right emotional beats all the way through. 'Song Sung Blue' is an obvious triumph that will probably have you tearing up at the end, but special mention to 'Cherry, Cherry', 'Crunchy Granola Suite' and 'Holly Holy'.

Kate Hudson, who played Claire/Thunder, is so passionate and enchanting when she's giddy over the music and her relationship with Lightning, but the moments in which Hudson had to present the horrors of losing a limb were a captivating moment within her performance. Ella Anderson, who played Rachel, is a really interesting young performer; I loved watching her character thaw towards Jackman's across this feature. Hudson Hensley, who played Dana, just feels like a kid living in the joy of being surrounded by family and music; Hensley makes the final scene of the film so powerful. King Princess, who played Angela, really feels quite close in mannerism to Jackman here, which makes her an awesome onscreen daughter; she has a tough know-it-all streak that makes her rather likable. Michael Imperioli, who played Mark Shurilla, feels quite unique as a sort of respected leader amongst the cover artist musicians; Imperioli also has a great rapport with Jackman here that marks a solid onscreen friendship. Jim Belushi, who played Tom D'Amato, is just a really loveable cast member; Belushi carries the comedic weight of this film very nicely. Jayson Warner Smith, who played Earl, is quite funny as the highly strung Elvis impersonator; I think he runs away with his scene and makes the film get off to a solid start. Shyaporn Theerakulstit, who played Somechai, is rather funny as the impassive restaurant owner who gives Jackman a job, but I loved the small connection they made with their characters over the handful of scenes they had going forward.

However, the best performance came from Hugh Jackman, who played Mike/Lightning. Mike is a character who is lost in chasing the thrill of the music. I loved watching Jackman play a character who is pretty self-aware of his emotions in some ways. Mike tends to be pretty reflective of his own behaviours as an alcoholic.  Yet, we also see Mike get lost in chasing after the style of performance he wants, to the point of downright aggression in one scene. The strength of this film is the steady chemistry between Jackman and Hudson, which is absolutely electric in their first few scenes together. It was torturous watching the scenes around hardship; Jackman really sells you in those moments and puts his character on the rack. The final concert scene was dazzling, but it also hurt. You could see Jackman playing it to the 9s, but it's those quieter moments of fear as he felt his life slipping away that really sold me on this performance.

This is a long film that pivots around a love story between Lightning and Thunder, Mike and Claire. Yet, after they get together and are quickly married, I couldn't help but feel like the film didn't have them acting together as often. They might be in the same scene, but they talked around one another or at one another; a lot of the deeper emotional moments were lost for lovey eyes being made at one another. I also felt like this film had a repetitive tonal whiplash problem. Song Sung Blue often introduced a terrifying moment of tragedy, a smash cut to the horrific aftermath, and then a few scenes later, we had Belushi making some good-natured quip about how much he loves Lightning. It's hard to really know if this movie wants to be one of those charming biopics or tearjerkers, and there probably needed to be a better way to move forward with these moments. The film isn't short by any means, and the heavy dramatic moments, followed by easy-going comedy or warm fuzzies, before going back to something grim, really impacted the pacing. I also found a point in the middle where I started to dislike both Lightning and Thunder; their relationship seemed toxic, and I didn't really buy Lightning being this noble rock to his broken family.

I didn't find the visuals of this movie very interesting until a musical number really started ramping up. For most of Song Sung Blue, the camera feels like it's doing a simple job, capturing all that has to be in front of it and dealing with the uninspired settings. The editing for the film felt sluggish as well. This is a movie that felt very formulaic in terms of visual design. No stops were pulled out to bleed some creativity into this.

Fisher Stevens, who played Dr. Dave Watson, is a very odd character that I struggled to believe in; the whole manager doctor shtick wasn't really played well for comedy or friendship. Mustafa Shakir, who played Sex Machine, hams up the cover musician thing a bit too much; Shakir always feels a bit on the fringes of the crowd. John Beckwith, who played Eddie Vedder, wasn't a particularly inspired choice to play the Pearl Jam singer; Beckwith has no screen presence beyond a good singing voice. Cecelia Riddett, who played Grandma Stengl, does the grouchy grandma stereotype to death; I don't know if we really needed such a played-out trope in the film.

It is often a melancholy watch because nothing really could go right for this pair, but it is a life immortalised in song if nothing else. I would give Song Sung Blue a 7/10.