By Rohan Coleman
The musical talents of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are utilised to the fullest extent in Song Sung Blue, which seems to be the biggest underdog of the 2026 film catalogue thus far. Based on an incredible true story, this energetic, emotional and extravagant movie captures the life and love of Mike and Claire Sardina, the Neil Diamond tribute band that go by the name of ‘Thunder and Lightning’. This evocative movie is adapted from the 2008 documentary of the same name, which memorialises the tragic love story of these star-crossed performers.
Music biopics detailing the rise to fame of various popular musicians have become an unwelcome addition to cinema programmes for some viewers, with this genre of film being incredible oversaturated since the late 2010’s. It appears film studios and producers consider these biopics the most likely films to receive both financial success and a slew of award nominations. Though these biopics have been around for decades, this trend is most commonly linked to 2019’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which saw Rami Malek win the Best Actor Oscar for portraying Freddie Mercury, alongside Best Picture and Best Director nominations. Bohemian Rhapsody’s success during awards season seemed to rapidly increase the amount of music biopics being released, with at least one biopic featuring among the Best Picture Oscar nominees since 2019. Musicians like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Bernstein have been portrayed by the most prestigious actors in the last three years alone, with a Michael Jackson biopic releasing in April, and four films, each focused on a different member of The Beatles all scheduled to be released in 2028.
Song Sung Blue shakes up this formula, however, as instead of focusing on the mega-famous musicians we all know, the film instead examines how these celebrities impact ordinary people’s lives and help them achieve their dreams. In this case, the musical workings of Neil Diamond impacted the lives of Claire and Mike Sardina so much, creating a lifelong love story, combining families and friends and allowing these people to achieve dreams they didn’t even know they had yet. Deciding to tell the story of this ordinary couple living out their own musical dreams is so much more emotionally impactful and inspiring than a typical biopic showing millionaire musicians, which makes this film incredibly special.
Song Sung Blue opens with Mike Sardina, portrayed excellently by Hugh Jackman, struggling to pay his mortgage and find a steady job while performing under the stage name ‘Lightning’. When he refuses to perform in a tribute act, he meets the charismatic Claire Stingl, played by the astoundingly talented Kate Hudson, who points out Mike’s likeness to Neil Diamond. After a few dates, a few rehearsals and a haircut Mike and Claire combine their musical talent and enthusiasm to create ‘Lighting and Thunder: A Neil Diamond Experience’. With the help of their newly joined family, friends in the music industry and their loyal Milwaukee patrons, this duo rise and rise in the local music scene.
Though the film features exciting musical performances, heart-warming familial relationships and an overall inspirational narrative, the movie holds a multitude of tear-jerking moments that derail the forward momentum this couple found themselves on. With possibly the worst medical luck recorded alongside ongoing financial and personal struggles, the latter half of the movie showcases the hardships faced by this pair and their family. Early trailers and marketing materials for Song Sung Blue do not feature the more emotionally intense and upsetting chapters of this story, which may be cause for the lack of discussion surrounding the film as it was initially marketed similarly to the music biopics we’ve seen time and time again.
The emotional core of this movie would not be possible without the handful of outstanding performances. Kate Hudson’s performance earned her a Best Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars, largely due to the highs and lows she navigates – from her characters flawless vocal performances to the deep depression she finds herself in as her dream seems to fall away from her. Hudson’s entire nuclear family delivers tear-jerking, jaw-dropping performances here, whether it’s Ella Anderson’s phenomenal portrayal of a young girl with too much on her plate, Hudson Hilbert Hensley’s navigation of the youngest child unable to fully understand the hardships tearing his family apart, or Hugh Jackman’s examination of a struggling artist trying to hold everything down. This spectacular cast grounds the film between the spectacular performances and rounds this film off emotionally, adding a much-needed depth to biopic-style films.
Song Sung Blue reformulates the typical music biopics that have been released in abundance over the last five years, shifting focus to the real people chasing their dreams and using music to inspire them to persevere and give them strength. Between the casts incredibly evocative performances and the energetic concert sequences, this underrated gem is a much needed, refreshing shake up of the biopic genre.