Director: Craig Brewer
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi
Release Date: December 25, 202
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Music, Musical
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some strong language, some sexual material and brief drug use.
Runtime: 2h 13m
Review:
Song Sung Blues is earnest, almost to a fault, in its utterly non cynical approach to telling the peaks and valleys of Mike and Claire Sardina powered by a pair of stellar turns from Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Craig Brewer’s film carries an air of authenticity that borders on schmaltzy at various points during the runtime but thankfully veers away from at decisive moments in the film. The opening act where the two fall in love and begin their rise as Lighting and Thunder with the two downtrodden dreamers finding their way to success. Those moments are incredibly uplifting and hard to resist regardless of how you feel about Neil Diamond’s music because there’s just something rousing about the whole thing. Brewer smartly lets his cast do the heavy lifting during the numerous musical numbers that pepper the film and serve as the beating heart of the whole thing. That opening act is a wide eye exercise in exuberance in their unabashed pursuit of their dreams before tragedy brings it all to a screeching halt. Once the story hits its middle segment it allows Jackman and Hudson to really flex their dramatic muscle as they provide an honesty to their performances that shows these people’s heart laid bare. Both are fantastic during the series of well staged musical as they leave every ounce of energy on the stage but the quieter moments really display the breadth of their talent. Their chemistry together makes the whole thing work so well that you can’t help but root for the couple to finally make it to the top, all thanks to their nuanced turns. Song Sung Blues does suffer a bit from some overly hokey dialogue which fall flat in the hands of lesser performers but Jackman and Hudson take you on an emotional journey that makes you feel every triumph and heartache on a personal level.
B+
