{"id":2212058,"date":"2025-12-25T17:37:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T17:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2212058"},"modified":"2025-12-25T17:37:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T17:37:25","slug":"ode-to-neil-diamond-tribute-act-is-so-good-so-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/ode-to-neil-diamond-tribute-act-is-so-good-so-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Ode to Neil Diamond tribute act is ‘so good, so good’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Writer\/director Craig Brewer has figured out a way to get a singer\u2019s catalogue in a film without telling an origin story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In \u201cSong Sung Blue,\u201d he highlights the life of a Neil Diamond \u201cinterpreter.\u201d A regular on the state fair circuit, Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) finds a degree of fame in Wisconsin as \u201cLightning.\u201d He meets a Patsy Cline impersonator, Claire (Kate Hudson), and suggests a duo\u00a0\u2014 she can be \u201cThunder.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hugh Jackman, left, and Kate Hudson, star as a Neil Diamond tribute act in\u00a0in “Song Sung Blue.”<\/p>\n

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\n Focus Features
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Lightning and Thunder wow the crowds and seem headed for greater success. Then a car crashes into their home \u2014 and Claire \u2014 and upsets the plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Brewer shows how difficult that second tier of fame is and lets Jackman and Hudson shine on a bar stage. How they revere Diamond is just part of the film\u2019s charm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Based on a 2008 documentary (which is fascinating in its own right), \u201cSong Sung Blue\u201d makes you cheer for the underdog while appreciating those legendary Neil songs. If only the recent Springsteen bio had this angle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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People are also reading\u2026<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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Hudson really leans into her role \u2014 watch the documentary and you\u2019ll see\u00a0\u2014 and exhibits a great voice that makes you wonder if it\u2019s time for another Patsy Cline movie.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jackman is great, too, but Mike is such a\u00a0lightning rod of emotions that it\u2019s hard not to admire his take on an original.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Filled with dramatic, life-altering moments, \u201cSong Sung Blue\u201d could have been done without any of those \u201cso good, so good\u201d classics and still been a compelling account. With them, it makes you want to see what it was that sparked Lightning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Brewer doesn\u2019t rewrite what documentarian Greg Kohs laid down, but he does correct some of the approach to the couple\u2019s story. The nonfiction film gets into the family life a bit more, but this captures all the heart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When Jackman and Hudson sing together, you wish you could have seen them on one of those fair stages and heard the reaction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSong Sung Blue\u201d crackles, just like Rosie. Diamond should be proud of the inspiration he provided Mike and Claire\u00a0\u2014 and us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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