Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband-and-wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak on their musical journey together.
Biopics are nothing new, and writer-director Craig Brewer’s “Song Sung Blue” doesn’t try to reinvent that wheel. It does, however, offer a unique spin on the genre, exploring emotional connection and the fragile state of success. While these films are usually about recognizable famous figures (actors, musicians, painters, writers, politicians), this one follows a husband-and-wife singing duo who dreamed of nothing more than entertaining audiences and becoming popular figures in the Milwaukee region by covering Neil Diamond songs.
Based on a documentary from 2008, also titled “Song Sung Blue,” Brewer’s film has been advertised with a trailer that promotes the movie as a piece of popcorn fluff, only offering a slight hint of the darker side of this fairy tale. It’s not particularly fair to the movie. Using its brighter and happier elements to sell it to holiday-time theater-goers fails to prepare them for the full breadth of the emotional journey. For some, I can see this heightening the experience, while others feel they were misled into watching a heavier work than they expected.
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson star as Mike, aka Lightning, and Claire, aka Thunder. Mike is a mechanic moonlighting as a musician. Music is both his passion and his dream. At the Wisconsin State Fair, he meets kindred spirit Claire. The two instantly shoot off romantic sparks and quickly commit to an act Mike calls Lightning and Thunder, which covers the music of Neil Diamond. Jackman and Hudson evoke a manic, slightly over-the-top energy with their roles, playing up their happy-go-lucky nature. These are two souls who are so aligned that nothing can go wrong — until it does.
Where the first act of this film is bright and cheerful, showcasing a happy couple integrating their families and sharing their love of music, things quickly go downhill, allowing both actors to showcase their performance range as the tone shifts from bubbly to grim. “Song Sung Blue” becomes more than a movie about following your dreams, morphing into a tale of overcoming physical and mental adversity while pursuing them. It’s a devastating and abrupt turn in this couple’s story, with Brewer handling the transition well.
Ultimately, this is a more nuanced, deeper film than what the trailer proposes. It perhaps focuses too much on the performance aspect, causing some pacing issues that briefly pause the story, but overall, it tells a compelling story that keeps you glued to the screen. Like Lightning and Thunder themselves, “Song Sung Blue” is looking to entertain, moving viewers with the story of Mike and Claire.
Now available on Digital and on Blu-ray™ and DVD February 17th
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