One more errant car* away from being a camp classic, Song Sung Blue dramatizes the highly dramatic real-life story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a Wisconsin couple who found romantic and artistic success later in life as a Neil Diamond tribute act, only to have to navigate a series of tragic challenges together. Writer-director Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan) does more veering that navigating, but stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson (the latter nominated for Best Actress) connect on such a genuinely exhilarating level in the music scenes (especially the early ones, where they’re refining their act) that you end up rooting for them and, by default, their movie.
*Yes, I know there were two car incidents in real life.
