Song Sung Blue: A Flawed, but Heartfelt Tribute to Pursuing a Dream (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Writer/director Craig Brewer is another one of those filmmakers who's not exactly a household name, but there's a good chance you've seen or heard of some of his projects, including "Black Snake Moan," "Dolemite is My Name," "and "Coming 2 America." As his filmography shows, music has been quite a large part of his work, leading to projects like "Hustle & Flow," a remake of "Footloose," and the documentary "Katy Perry: Part of Me," which brings us to his latest endeavor, "Song Sung Blue," in which a couple tries to make it big as a Neil Diamond tribute band. With two major Oscar-nominated stars headlining, will his newest musical outing be able to find as much success as some of his past work?

Beginning in 1987, we meet Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman), a Don Ho impersonator who decides one day that he wants to go on stage as himself ("Lightning") at the Wisconsin State Fair. When his boss refuses, he quits, but not before meeting Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson), a Patsy Cline impersonator who recommends he try taking on Neil Diamond. The two begin a relationship both personal & professional that has them attempting to put together a Neil Diamond tribute band. Their first gig as "Lightning and Thunder" doesn't go quite as planned, but they soon find themselves with a string of successful shows, including one that has them opening for Pearl Jam. However, a freak accident involving an out-of-control car soon brings everything to a halt and puts their dream in jeopardy.

"Song Sung Blue," based on the true story of performers "Lightning and Thunder," starts off as a kind of feel-good exploration of pursuing a life-long dream of becoming a star... or at the very least, trying to earn a living doing something that you really love. In the case of Mike & Claire, singing is their passion, and when they find that passion in each other, it becomes only natural that they pursue the dream together, both personally & professionally.

The first half of the film is rather sweet as we see these two get together and plan their big break, which, of course, takes a lot of work in terms of deciding on what songs to sing, costumes to wear, which venues to play at, and so on. Even when the entire endeavor starts on shaky ground with a not-so-great show that they try to give to a biker gang (a total miscommunication between their manager and the one who hired them), you get the feeling that, if they keep at it, they could go far given their high spirits and strong desire to bring their dream to life.

It's the kind of story that has you rooting for them to succeed, which is what makes the second half of the film a somewhat unfortunate disappointment. This is where the film takes an odd turn, becoming a rather melodramatic "Movie of the Week"-type experience, playing heavily on some weakly-emotional material, and losing the steam that the first half of the film had built up. Sure, this may have been what happened, but it's the way that it's presented that needed a little work so that it wouldn't appear so maudlin or sappy.

By the end, the two halves basically cancel each other out to make the film a rather mixed offering. There's a lot of good stuff in there, including some fine work from leads Hugh Jackman & Kate Hudson (who recently earned an Oscar nod for Best Actress), as well as some great music and a lot of heart, but the execution for its more emotional parts is just a little too far off, ultimately leaving us with a musical outing whose heart was in the right place, but whose tone couldn't quite match it.

Video/Audio:

"Song Sung Blue" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality, featuring a picture that is beautifully sharp & clear throughout its entire 132-minute runtime. Likewise, the 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue and, of course, all of the various songs & other music in outstanding quality. Overall, Universal has done a wonderful job in both areas for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

Commentary with Writer/Director Craig Brewer

One Plus One Equals Three (5 Minutes): A brief look behind the scenes with Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, and Craig Brewer.

Lightning in a Bottle (10 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on the cast.

Eye for Style (3 Minutes): A featurette that explores the film's costumes.

Extended Performances (2 Sequences, 7 Minutes)

Conclusion:

Craig Brewer's "Song Sung Blue" starts off well as a story about two singers pursuing their dream of being on the stage in the form of a Neil Diamond tribute band, but sadly the second half ends up letting down the first by turning it into a rather melodramatic Movie of the Week whose tone is just a little too maudlin & sappy. Its heart was in the right place, and Jackman & Hudson do fine work as the leads, but the film is ultimately a mixed offering that needed better execution for its emotional content.

Score: 3/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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