‘Song Sung Blue’ review: Neil Diamond cover band movie starts off nice — and then becomes a downer

If there’s one slam-dunk choice in “Song Sung Blue,” Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson’s new romantic movie about a Neil Diamond cover band, it’s the title. 

“Sweet Caroline” would be way too happy. Heck, “Love On The Rocks” is overly upbeat. 

This mostly true story of a pair of Milwaukee musicians who find each other through their passion for the “Forever in Blue Jeans” singer is about two thirds downer. 

By the end, it’s practically “The Terrible Tale of the Cursed Midwesterners.” That weird tonal imbalance hurts the film because, at least as depicted by director Craig Brewer, it’s not as uplifting or cathartic as it thinks it is. You leave bummed out. Merry Christmas!

What keeps “Song Sung Blue,” which is based on a documentary, from plummeting into a sinkhole of depression are the charisma and connection between its two shiny stars, and the soulful and catchy songs of Diamond.

Improbably, his catalog is actually done a greater service by Jackman and Hudson as county fair performers than the straightforward Broadway musical about him, “A Beautiful Noise,” a few seasons back.

That’s not the only surprise.

Going into a typical biopic of a world famous crooner — say Whitney Houston or Amy Winehouse — you know what you’re in for. With the Wisconsin group called Lightning and Thunder, the turns are often unexpected and painful to the point of masochism.

Personal demons are unleashed straightaway. Mike (Jackman) starts the movie singing “Song Sung Blue” at his Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. 

The sensitive single dad works as an impersonator in a throwback show during the 1990s. There’s an Elvis, James Brown and Buddy Holly, but he can’t land on a niche.  

On the twentieth anniversary of his sobriety Mike, stage name Lightning, meets Claire (Kate Hudson), the act’s Patsy Cline, and she points out he’s a dead ringer for Neil Diamond. Funny you should say that, Claire. Neil, it turns out, is sacred to him. 

Hudson, by the way, does a very decent Wisconsin accent — if an extremely gung-ho one. Perhaps she went Method and took a part-time gig at a Kenosha Culver’s.

Somewhat bizarre, though, is that she is the only person to give the Badger State brogue a go.

Soon the duo are back at her place jamming, making out and deciding to upend their lives and family by forming a Diamond tribute band. What to call it? Mike gives Claire the name Thunder.

The best scenes of “Song Sung Blue” are when Lightning and Thunder are at their scrappiest, touring lodges, bars and casinos they beg to perform at. Some cranks find their hokey retro vibe and Diamond’s music unbearably uncool. 

Mike resents that drunk audiences only want to hear “Sweet Caroline,” and there’s a repeated gag that nobody can pronounce or spell “Soolaimon,” if they’ve even heard of it.

A pack of angry bikers hurl beer bottles at them and yell, “Freebird!”

That’s a cliche. This movie’s got as many cliches as Madison’s got cheese curds. But script aside, Jackman and Hudson onstage are effervescent and, speaking as someone who’s never mounted a motorcycle, the songs rock.

Lightning and Thunder develop a big local following, get profiled on the evening news and open for Pearl Jam.

Then everything goes to hell.

The actors probably love the darker second half because that’s when they get to be their showiest. Hudson is solid and sad as Claire crumbles, especially since minutes earlier she was a human chipmunk. It’s her finest turn since “Almost Famous” more than 20 years ago.

Mike has plenty of issues, too. The plot never forgets he’s an alcoholic. And throughout the movie, he ignores a clearly serious heart condition. But Jackman excelling is more expected. Mike is the ideal character for the actor, since the Aussie always contains both a menacing Wolverine and a perky Curly from “Oklahoma!” who’s ready to sing to a corn stalk.

The leads and the music are the reasons to see “Song Sung Blue.” A failing of the film is that it wants to be an ensemble piece, yet nobody is at all memorable below the marquee names. Jim Belushi plays their manager and Michael Imperioli is the band’s guitarist. Three young actors go cloyingly broad as the couple’s kids. 

It’s a perfectly nice movie until it’s not. The last half hour is supposed to be a moving tearjerker, but winds up sour. 

It sure isn’t reaching out, touching me, touching you.