Film Screening: Song Sung Blue
About the event
The bio-pic version of a 2008 documentary about a husband and wife Neil Diamond cover act, Song Sung Blue (2025, rated PG-13) stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina. The couple rose from humble Milwaukee beginnings and battled later heartbreaks to soar as Thunder and Lightning, eventually opening shows for Pearl Jam and even getting to meet Neil himself (who gave this film his blessing). They first cross paths at the 1987 Wisconsin State Fair, where Mike is tapped to fill in for an ailing Don Ho impersonator and Claire is preparing to go onstage as Patsy Cline. Soon they meet as neighbors and join voices, bringing the throbbing ballads and hot August nights of Neil to the people of Brew City and beyond. Claire loses a leg in a car accident and Mike suffers heart attacks and drinking relapses, but with the support of their kids they pull through and return to the stage to do what they do best. It’s a crowdpleaser with two committed leads belting out one great tune after another, especially Hudson, whose acting has matured beyond the typecasting of her early cute-blonde roles.
