"Casual film fans would therefore be forgiven for assuming that Hugh Jackman is playing Neil Diamond in the musical biopic Song Sung Blue . But the reality is much weirder and, weirder still, more palatable. Jackman is playing a real-life Neil Diamond impersonator who dazzled the Milwaukee area in the 1990s. That meta approach results in a movie that's half kitschy deconstruction of the biopic genre, half tearjerking crowdpleaser about the importance of following your dreams."
"Between his 2005 breakout hit Hustle & Flow and his underrated Eddie Murphy vehicle Dolemite Is My Name , writer-director Craig Brewer has a soft spot for struggling artists who dream of mass success first and artistic integrity second. He's found perhaps his ideal subject in Mike "Lightning" Sardina (Jackman), a middle-aged recovering alcoholic who knows he'll never be a great songwriter or sex symbol, but still feels he's got something to give the world as an entertainer."
The film follows Mike "Lightning" Sardina, a middle-aged recovering alcoholic who works in a garage and performs local tribute gigs while pursuing his own music. He discovers a likeness to Neil Diamond and adopts that impersonation as a niche within a Wisconsin circuit already filled with other iconic tributes. Craig Brewer frames the story as a meta take on the musical biopic, pairing kitschy deconstruction with sincere, tearjerking moments about following dreams. The movie earns originality points despite occasional tonal inconsistency, and scenes of Jackman refining his Diamond impression mix surreal comedy with emotional payoff.
Read at Jezebel
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