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sang the song blueAbout a pair of blue diamonds tribute to singersEasily hides behind its “true story” credentials. So many of its incredible events are so true that the film feels licensed to present this story of Wisconsin’s big dreamers in any way it wants to.
But the problem with this brand of Hollywood stories is that, by overly romanticizing their subjects, they diminish their humanity. Greg Kohs’s 2008 documentary The eponymous film, which provided its inspiration to writer-director Craig Brewer, was curious about how Mike and Claire Sardina react to bad luck and the slow realization that their dreams are being taken from them. But, in Breuer’s hands, his inner world is reduced to two modes of existence: triumph and tragedy.
Couple – Hugh Jackman plays Mike and kate hudson Claire plays – gets into a showcase for impersonators. She’s Patsy Cline. He doesn’t want to be Neil Diamond. He respects her greatly, so Claire offers him an option: become a “Neil Diamond interpreter”, a cover artist who works on keyboards. He asks her to become the “Thunder” of his stage name, “Lightning”.
A whirlwind romance and creative collaboration ensues, as they are eventually married and join Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith) on stage, opening for his band Pearl Jam. Jackman and Hudson are good actors here. They’re linked by a high-octane perfection, all apple pie smiles and her bouncy Wisconsin accent. Their voices are strong, although they never actually fall in love. There’s certainly nothing transformative about how Diamond’s music is presented here, as cinematographer Amy Vincent’s camera is mostly concerned with making sure everyone is in shot and visible.
While Mike and Claire live in harmony, their daughters Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Angelina (musician King Princess), both from previous marriages, sit in the backyard and do some expository trauma dumping: Mike was a Vietnam War “tunnel rat” who was forced to crawl over corpses and returned home drunk (now in his 20s), while Claire is taking depression medication. Is. When a car crashes into their house, Claire’s leg is partially amputated. And his will is broken.
Here, sang the blues Many stories about disability take the path in which a high-profile, able-bodied Hollywood actor portrays the suffering and, in turn, receives an award (Hudson has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for the role).
The pain medication makes Claire jealous and argumentative. But, obviously, after their big confrontation the camera pans out with Mike and follows him into the bathroom. When we return to Claire, she watches her cry nervously from the other side of the house, as if the film was too afraid to sit with her and see her experiences as relatable rather than worthy of mere external sympathy.
Her condition then improves in the blink of an eye, framed in a single confessional that turns into a contemplative montage – which conveniently closes the book on a once-discussed major event in the family’s life. Mike’s heart condition, which he keeps to himself, leads to a conclusion no one will believe. And it doesn’t matter how many times sang the song blue Insists that it was “based on a true story”.
Director: Craig Brewer. Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi. 132 minutes.
‘Song Sung Blue’ is in theaters from January 1