Critics are starting to sing the praises of “Song Sung Blue,” the new movie starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Milwaukee couple and musicians Mike and Claire Sardina, who performed in a Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline tribute act Lightning & Thunder beginning in the late ’80s. Their roller-coaster lives were captured in a 2008 documentary, also called “Song Sung Blue,” that the new movie is based on.
Hitting theaters Christmas Day, “Song Sung Blue” had its world premiere as the closing night presentation of AFI Fest in Los Angeles Oct. 26, part of distributor Focus Features’ campaign to position the movie as a major Academy Awards contender.
There still aren’t enough reviews for review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to grant the film a score, but of the eight reviews cited on the film’s Rotten Tomatoes page so far, seven of them are mostly positive.
Kate Hudson, left, plays Claire Sardina and Hugh Jackman is Mike Sardina in “Song Sung Blue,” a movie telling the story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a Milwaukee couple who performed a Neil Diamond/Patsy Cline tribute act. The movie arrives in theaters on Dec. 25, 2025.
Reviewing the film for Deadline, Pete Hammond writes that the fact that writer/director Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow”) “never loses the delicate tone of this musical comedy/drama is a miracle itself. … Ultimately ‘Song Sung Blue‘ is not just about a tribute to Neil Diamond but to the resilience of the humans at the center of it all. Fortunately, the film also has two ever-appealing and relatable stars knocking it out of the park — musically and dramatically.”
Hammond writes that Jackman “is as good as he has ever been playing a complicated guy who finds his groove in the music of an iconic singer.”
And Hudson, Hammond writes, “is simply sensational in her best screen role since her Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning turn as the inimitable Penny Lane in 2000’s ‘Almost Famous’.As comfortable musically as she is with the heavy dramatics the role requires, her Claire will break your heart.”
Owen Gleiberman in his review for Variety also singled out the performances of Jackman and Hudson. Of the latter’s performance, the reviewer suggests Hudson offers “let-it-rip acting with the fussiness burned off. And Hudson and Jackman don’t just have chemistry; they have an emotional synergy that grows more moving as Mike and Claire bond together — and fuse, once again, with the power of Neil — to heal themselves.”
“This is the kind of robust entertainment — wholesome though not at all toothless, alternately joyful and heart-wrenching — that doesn’t get made much anymore,” writes The Hollywood Reporter reviewer David Rooney, who also suggests this is Hudson’s finest performance since ” Almost Famous.” “It’s a family movie in the best sense of the term, a crowd-pleaser with a ton of heart.”
Christian Zilko writes for IndieWire: “At two hours and 11 minutes, the film often feels overstuffed and too melodramatic for its own good… But even with those flaws, it’s still hard to look away from the silly sincerity that powers the film.” Zilko gave the movie a B-.
The most negative review so far is from Kristen Lopez from The Film Maven, which slapped the film with a D-. “Hudson and Jackman are fine, but the movie’s overwrought and, at times, irritating portrayal of disability and poverty gets old fast,” Lopez writes.
Mike and Claire Sardina of Milwaukee performed as singing duo Lightning & Thunder, shown in this 1998 file photo. The couple are to be played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in “Song Sung Blue,” a musical drama based on the 2008 documentary of the same name.
The reviews offer insights into the movie (spoiler alert) of the couple’s highs and lows, from performing with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder at Summerfest, to Claire Sardina losing part of her leg after being struck by a car.
Mike Sardina passed away in 2006 from a head injury. Claire Sardina still lives in Menomonee Falls.
“I’m elated and a little dumfounded,” she said in a statement after the film was announced last year. “All of the hype has taken me back to when my wonderful husband was alive and by my side. It’s been wonderful to go back in time.”
The film also stars Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hilbert Hensley and “Sopranos” star Michael Imperioli as another beloved late figure from Milwaukee’s music scene, Mark Shurilla.
Ahead of its release, the Wisconsin Area Music Industry awarded Claire and Mike Sardina the first WAMI Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th annual WAMI Awards this past spring.
More: The trailer is out for ‘Song Sung Blue,’ about Milwaukee band Lightning & Thunder
More: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster make red carpet debut at ‘Song Sung Blue’ premiere
More: Neil Diamond misses ‘Song Sung Blue’ premiere, but sends ’emotional’ FaceTime message
Contact Piet Levy at (414) 223-5162 or [email protected]. Follow him at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What first reviews say about ‘Song Sung Blue’ about Milwaukee band
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