MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Action News 5 went one-on-one with the Memphis mastermind behind a major Christmas Day film release, \u201cSong Sung Blue,\u201d written and directed by the Bluff City\u2019s own Craig Brewer. <\/p>\n
We sat down with the filmmaker to discuss a Christmas he\u2019ll never forget!<\/p>\n
Hollywood heavy-hitters Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson have paired with Brewer, Memphis\u2019 own<\/i> heavy-hitter. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a perfect, perfect Christmas movie. It\u2019s a moral tale. It\u2019s true,\u201d Brewer expressed while talking about \u201cSong Sung Blue\u201a” his 16th directorial project but first Christmas-day blockbuster.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a cherished release date for any film, usually indicating a studio\u2019s hope that a film is either considered a major holiday contender, possibly even a contender for Oscars or other awards. <\/p>\n And for a man whose career as a writer and director was launched with the release of \u201cThe Poor & Hungry\u201d on a $20,000 budget, as Brewer said, \u201cIt\u2019s pretty amazing. Because I don\u2019t know about you, but like, that\u2019s a tradition for me on Christmas… You go to a movie. And usually it\u2019s like, well, \u2018What\u2019s a movie that we can all go see?\u2019 And I think that when the studio saw the movie, they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh… teenagers, adults, grandma, they can all go to it, and they can all feel inspired.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSong Sung Blue\u201d is based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name by Greg Kohs, about Mike and Claire Sardina, who performed as the Neil Diamond tribute band \u201cLightning and Thunder.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cYou know, it\u2019s a true story about this man and this woman in Milwaukee in the \u201990s, that they both came from divorced families, and they fell in love, and they were going to make a family of their own, and they decided they were going to make this Neil Diamond tribute band… And it\u2019s really this beautiful story about this family who goes through so many hardships, but they\u2019re ultimately just trying to chase their dream. And I can\u2019t help but just love stories like that, especially here in Memphis,\u201d Brewer elaborated.<\/p>\n Brewer has built his career on what he calls \u201cAmerican stories,\u201d from the \u201cgrit and grind\u201d of \u201cHustle & Flow,\u201d the powerhouse \u201cEmpire\u201d television series, to the iconic characters in \u201cDolemite Is My Name,\u201d and \u201cComing 2 America.\u201d <\/p>\n Last year, he helmed the Peacock series \u201cFight Night,\u201d which is a story about a million-dollar heist in 1970 that transformed Atlanta into a modern-day \u201cBlack Mecca.\u201d <\/p>\n Critics say Brewer\u2019s latest, \u201cSong Sung Blue,\u201d is unlike anything on Brewer\u2019s resume, but Brewer disagrees. <\/p>\n \u201cI find that so funny that people are coming up to me, going like, \u2018Craig, this seems so different than the movies that you\u2019ve been making.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t think it\u2019s really all that different.\u2019 I go, \u2018Is it because it\u2019s got white people in it?\u2019 And they were like, \u2018All right, yeah, it\u2019s because it\u2019s got white people in it.\u2019 But I think that\u2019s what makes this story so great, is that I think it\u2019s a perfect sister movie to \u2018Hustle & Flow,\u2019\u201d he explained, adding, \u201cThe story that I know that Hollywood always tries to perpetuate is that, you know, a real American dream story in the arts or in music is, well, when somebody makes it. But that\u2019s actually not the case, really, with a good like 80% of artists out there, you know, they\u2019re still working for tip jar change at your local bars and restaurants trying to entertain you.\u201d<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s Brewer\u2019s turn to entertain with an unforgettable cast of characters that will likely inspire movie-goers around the world this Christmas. <\/p>\n \u201cThey can all enjoy the music, but they can also experience a real dramatic story that\u2019s going to move people. And every audience that we\u2019ve shown it to has just been cheering at the end of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSong Sung Blue\u201d opened nationwide Christmas 2025, and over the following days this same week, it will also open in Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Africa and at least 10 other countries. <\/p>\n Brewer\u2019s next movie is a biopic of rap legend Snoop Dogg. We\u2019ll be watching! <\/p>\n As for Brewer\u2019s favorite movie of all-time? <\/p>\n \u201cTo this day, before I shoot a movie, I show \u2018Purple Rain\u2019 to my crew,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s my favorite movie. I could say \u2018The Godfather.\u2019 I could say any of the movies of Martin Scorsese, but I\u2019m sorry, it\u2019s \u2018Purple Rain.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Click here<\/i><\/a> to sign up for our newsletter!<\/i><\/p>\n![\"Action](\"https:\/\/gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/O7EE6675CJBFLL57TDJEA7PAGU.png?auth=6cab579741be10f79f2a750ef5757a3f3bd0e2a847b9a2adcc12b017e9f434b4&width=980&height=551&smart=true\")
<\/div>![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/6PWOSU6MEFB3VCLO2RDEN5C5UQ.png?auth=84fa1961780216a5dba28c89bbbd9b351d3fb60d4afaf6f2593a4a4e8f4bedd6&width=980&height=551&smart=true\")
<\/div>![\"Hustle](\"https:\/\/gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/45M2U4XRTVDTDOZVZTPWYS3NCM.png?auth=bc28efd4e1106f16c1145b666043c36ab62be05a67534c02fcee7ef74dfb3696&width=980&height=551&smart=true\")
<\/div>![\""Song](\"https:\/\/gray-wmctv-prod.gtv-cdn.com\/resizer\/v2\/DQZBP3NM7RDHTA7YJCRVFZWTZM.png?auth=0507ce891da2aa2a3bb1185d0de792568500aa3f7d3bc28da1379789a2746a4d&width=980&height=551&smart=true\")
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