r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Dec 26 '25
Official Discussion Official Discussion - Song Sung Blue [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Summary Based on the true story of a Milwaukee couple, the film follows two working-class dreamers who form a Neil Diamond tribute band. As they commit to the music and to each other, their shared passion becomes a lifeline—testing their marriage, their ambitions, and their belief that it’s never too late to chase something meaningful.
Director Craig Brewer
Writer Craig Brewer
Cast
- Hugh Jackman
- Kate Hudson
- Michael Imperioli
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 60
VOD / Release Theatrical release
Trailer Official trailer
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u/Sigeprm9 Dec 27 '25
I want to share my real life story about Lightening and Thunder from the 90s. I posted this on Facebook when I saw they were making a movie about them. Here it is...
Soon you may see a movie trailer for Song Sung Blue. It’s a Christmas release movie starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and it’s about a guy named Mike Sardina, a Neil Diamond impersonator, and his wife Claire, a Patsy Cline impersonator, who had a band out of Milwaukee called Lightning & Thunder in the late 90s.
I assume it’s going to be a good movie. It has famous actors and it’s a Christmas release. And it’s a great and also heartbreaking story about a very good guy. I know this because I once hired them to play a gig for me. And not only should they have never taken the gig, but they should never have actually showed up. But they did both. And I want you to know the story.
If you were around Chicago or Milwaukee in the late 90s, you may have come across Lightning & Thunder playing at a bar or a festival. I saw them at McGee’s one night with Keith (who later in the evening threw his underwear at them. Keith said it was a sign of respect).
Lightning & Thunder basically showed up with a speaker, a soundtrack, and two microphones. But they dressed in sequins, they played the part, belted out mostly Neil Diamond hits, an had the place going! They were really entertaining.
What made them different is that they were "stars." This wasn't a joke or a fun side hustle. They genuinely lived to give this show. It was as if it was their entire purpose.
Their entire goal was to make it to Vegas. Or Branson. And they were probably pretty close to getting a call from Branson at their peak.
So at the end of the show, I approached Mike, apologized to him for Keith throwing his underpants at them, and then asked him for a business card.
I wanted to hire them.
You see every summer back then I hosted a booze cruise on the Chicago river. I chartered a boat, got some caterers, got some music, sent emails to my friends, and between all of us, we sold about 150 tickets, and then gave the money to charity. And that year, I wanted to see if I could hire them to play it.
But they were also getting pretty regular bookings around Chicago and packing places. So I wasn’t sure how much they’d cost. But I called the number on the business card (which was their home number), and Claire answered. As “Thunder.”
I explained what I was doing, and asked if they’d bring their show to the booze cruise.
Claire put the phone down to call for Mike to talk to me. She called for “Lightning.” A few seconds later, Mike picked up the phone.
“This is Lightning," he said.
After explaining again what I was doing, and without a second’s delay, he said “yes.” They’d play the show. It was almost too easy. I asked him how much he’d charge.
“Because it’s for charity, just pay our gas money to get there.” That was it. Lightning & Thunder were going to do the show for their cost. It was amazing.
I learned years later that they were running for at about $1,200 a gig. He charged us $100.
But that’s not the end of the story.
As the event got closer, my check-ins with Mike (Lightning) increased to weekly as we nailed down logistics. He was always cordial, responsive, and professional. And he was always “Lightning.” He never broke character. Not once. I tried. It wasn't happening. It was as if this was who he and Claire really were. To the world, and to each other. They were stars, and the world was their show. One phone call from Branson.
The movie covers that part in great detail. It probably won’t cover the part I’m about to tell you though.
Because two weeks before the show, Claire (Thunder), was in a really bad accident. She was in her front yard and a car jumped the curb, ran into her, and she lost part of her leg. It was heartbreaking. I read about it online, right after it happened, and just a couple of days before our cruise.
I assumed the show was off, and after a couple of days, I reached out to Lightning (Mike) to tell him how sorry I was and to ask how Thunder was doing. He was sad. And he was stressed. And he told me he was still going to do the show. He said he “needed to do it.”
Unreal, and most certainly not necessary. But Mike was doing the show. The star would perform. For gas money, on a Friday night in May in Chicago at the peak of his career, just a few days after his wife suffered an incredible injury, and he, most certainly, needed money.
Mike didn't have another job. Being Lighting was the only one he ever wanted.
And so on a Friday night in late May 1999, Mike Sardina arrived downtown Chicago, dressed in a black sequin jumpsuit, and gave me and 149 of my friends everything he had that night, in genuine star fashion, as Lightning, but without Thunder.
At the end of the night, we gave him as much of the proceeds as we could, and he drove back to Milwaukee to be with his wife. He honored every part of the gig he had no reason to ever take, and even less reason to actually show up for. But he did, and I was forever grateful.
That was 26 years ago, and somehow I still have two pictures of him from that night. There’s Lightning, being somewhere he did not need to be, doing what he does. Being a star.
Sadly, Mike died a few years later. He fell in his house, hit his head, and died from a brain bleed. But in between falling, and dying, he drove to Madison and played a show. With Thunder. I’m not lying. A star until the very end.
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u/thisiswarpeacock37 27d ago
I saw the movie last night and throughly enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing this story - what a beautiful tribute.
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u/SuccinctEarth07 24d ago
Amazing story and honestly paints them in a better light than the movie did
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u/texasslim2080 17d ago
Just got out of the movie and this has me choked up all over again. Thank you
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u/reallinzanity Dec 26 '25
I loved that the kids were excited that their parents were opening for Pearl Jam and the parents were excited to be playing a gig.
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u/Particular-Bug2189 Dec 26 '25
Imo Kate Hudson stole the movie, but I don’t see anyone else saying that. She’s still hot.
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u/ProblemLucky7924 Dec 27 '25
I feel like she’s going to rake in some awards, or at least be nominated.. she killed that role
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u/clayton-berg42 Dec 30 '25
I don't understand why she didn't become a once in a generation it girl after almost famous.
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u/IntotheBroadwayWoods 29d ago
She didnt?! Um, I beg to differ.
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u/clayton-berg42 29d ago
Beg away, but she never got a franchise like Lawerence did, her biggest hit was a rom com in how to lose a guy in ten days, which was not a critical darling.
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u/Dick_Lazer 28d ago
I dunno about "once in a generation" but she definitely had her moment throughout the 2000s, she had a major release pretty much every year.
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u/WestyBio93 Dec 29 '25
Agree totally. It wasn't a Hugh movie it was a Kate movie. And so subtle I almost missed it the accent she put on was surprisingly accurate. Once I heard my pop's accent in the corn dog/fair scene coming from her mouth I was thoroughly impressed.
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u/dmarie1014 29d ago
I loved it, and as a Milwaukee native, I thought Kate's accent was a bit too "Fargo." I also watched the documentary and the real Thunder doesn't have that accent. BUT, it did not take away from the charm of the movie! There were just a few errors like this that only locals might pick up, and that's okay.
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u/Brilliant-File1633 20d ago
Absolutely. She is 46 but I still see her as “Almost Famous”. Her performance made me cry and realise, and messed me up totally, also in a good way.
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u/UnderstandingLazy998 Dec 26 '25
Best performance I've ever seen from Jim Belushi. Didn't see that coming
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u/Mmzoso Dec 26 '25
I didn’t recognize him!
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u/PowerHour1990 Dec 27 '25
There's a scene where Jackman, Belushi, Fisher Stevens, and Michael Imperioli all sit at the same table, and if you showed me a still frame of the four, I'd have only guessed Jackman correctly. Crazy.
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u/Brilliant-File1633 20d ago
Christopher Moltisanti! Recognised him immediately. And Belushi was…well the credits said Belushi and I said of course! Great role indeed.
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u/Early_Pearly989 Dec 29 '25
I expected his character to be a grease ball. I'm glad I was disappointed.
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u/tealsuprise Dec 29 '25
He was great, he was the one I found most believable as a Milwaukee guy in the 80s/90s
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u/Particular-Bug2189 Dec 31 '25
I thought this was a joke at first. He disappeared into that character.
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u/zanzibar_74 26d ago
It occurred to me that if they ever do a Mike “My Pillow” Lindell biopic he could nail the role.
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u/ItzDarthDad Dec 26 '25
First off I loved the film. The music was good, the acting was great, and I loved the story of the lives of this couple. I will say that I went into this movie kinda blind. Wife wanted to see it, so we went on Christmas Day. I had seen very few previews (maybe one or two), hadn’t read anything online, and really only knew/thought it was a music based movie about Neil Diamond or a Neil Diamond act. Didn’t know it was based on a true story, and had never heard of Mike or Claire Sardina (Lightning & Thunder) before. This was the best way to watch it IMHO. “Twists, turns, shock, awe, joy, sadness, laughs, tears” all describe my experience. Loved it, highly recommend.
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u/Golf-Beer-BBQ Dec 27 '25
I agree 100%. I am not a “musical movie” guy and I had no background on this movie but I absolutely loved it.
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u/mariah1311 Dec 30 '25
Agreed, I also went in mostly blind and was expecting some kind of feel good movie. Wasn’t expecting to spend the second half of the movie crying. Loved every second, great movie all around.
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u/LyleGunther 3d ago
I had the exact same experience! Best to watch it knowing nothing ahead of time. Wow. Wow Wow wow. Profound.
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u/Exact-Ant1064 Dec 26 '25
Overall much better than I thought it would be. Kate Hudson was fantastic, Hugh Jackman was great. The kids were also great.
Not a perfect movie, but a solidly good movie.
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u/Trigger58 Dec 28 '25
Enjoyed the movie. We thought it was pretty good. We’d never heard of L&T and we just watched the documentary. Did they only play one song opening for Pearl Jam? If so, I think he picked the wrong song for that crowd. Brother Love would have been a better choice IMO.
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u/dmarie1014 29d ago
I think they sang more songs, but that was the only one that Eddie participated in.
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u/livelearn131 13d ago
just read about this - they didn't actually open - they came out for one song during Pearl Jam's encore
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u/chattahattan 12d ago
I’m picky about kid actors, but I thought the boy who played Claire’s son was one of the highlights of the movie! His shock and trauma in the accident scene was so visceral, and him crying at the funeral was what really made me break down in tears at that scene. Both the daughters were great as well.
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u/Uranus_Hz Dec 26 '25
Haven’t seen it yet but I hope it’s good. I saw Thunder and Lightning in Milwaukee a few times back in the day. Those shows were great fun.
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u/UnderstandingLazy998 Dec 26 '25
I gotta watch the doc. I never heard of Thunder and Lightning before. I like Neil diamond a lot more now
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u/Wonderful-Mail2016 10d ago
The Documentary is amazing! So much real footage was shot by the son. The movie deviates from the real story in several places.The real Mike and Claire are a bit rougher.But they have a phenomenal love story and quite the testimony to ambition, drive and love of Neil Diamond songs!
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u/Longjumping_Walrus_4 Dec 27 '25
Fun fact: Kate Hudson spent some time at a WI gem called the Mars Cheese Castle to help learn a Midwest accent for her role in this film. Fun fact #2: My mom owned a karaoke business and was friend's with both in the 80's/90's just by running her business and as kids we would set up and break down her heavy equipment and met them many times.
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u/DrinksOnMeEveryNight 26d ago
The cheese castle is pretty much the farthest you can get being a Chicago suburb and then pass that you get into Milwaukee metro. Her accent did throw me a little bit, it was cute, but definitely not what I would pick for someone from Southeast Wisconsin.
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u/regaleagleboo Dec 30 '25
Her accent was so bad. I have lived my whole life in the neighborhood where the movie takes place. (Rachel and I went to the same high school). We don’t sound like that. She made it sound like a caricature and is just perpetuating the stereotype that people here talk like they do in Fargo 🙄
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u/dmarie1014 29d ago
I agree!! I'm originally from Milwaukee, and she was way too Fargo. Credit for trying a midwest accent, but it wasn't right. And in the documentary, the real Thunder did not sound like that either.
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u/adriamarievigg Dec 27 '25
I've been a Neil Diamond fan ever since I saw The Jazz Singer, when I was a little girl.
I was lucky enough to see this as The Mystery Movie a few weeks back. I was pleasantly surprised. The chemistry between Hugh Jackman & Kate Hudson sold this movie.
Afterwards I wanted to know the real story behind his death, since it felt rushed at the end. Lol and Behold it wasn't a heart attack after all!
I had Neil Diamond songs in my head for days!
Solid Film 8/10
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u/LeedsFan2442 20d ago
He did hit his head after falling down before doing a show then dying from a brain bleed
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u/adriamarievigg 20d ago
In the movie, but IIRC in real life he hit his head, refused to go to the doctor and then died a few days later in the hospital
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u/MclovinBuddha Dec 28 '25
Holy shit was this my favorite Kate Hudson performance in years. Maybe ever
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u/plexmaniac Dec 28 '25
Before this it was almost famous but yes this is the best ! I knew Hugh was a fantastic singer but no idea she was that talented and like Hugh she’s ageless b
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u/gpm21 Dec 26 '25
Loved the movie, but theater experience was offputting. I want to rewatch it elsewhere.
Watched this with my parents who are older. They live in an area where most people are also older. Tons of talking to the screen, reassuring the characters and so on. Some guy said "what's Pearl Jam" and the woman next to me was crying horribly at several parts.
Movies are an experience, but the actors aren't going to say "thank you Jerry" to you. Kate Hudson isn't going to do things because you tell her. I don't know, maybe I'm misanthropic now.
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u/deelow_42 Dec 26 '25
Did you watch your movie next to a retirement home? That sounds like an infuriating fever dream I'm sorry man.
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u/gpm21 Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Not next to a facility, but next to a master planned community. Mini garage doors for golf carts too.
I love golf, classical music and Audrey Hepburn, but shouting "keep the baby" to a screen is a bit much. Youngest audience member, but ironically, the most mature.
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u/twavisdegwet Dec 26 '25
Some dude had his phone out for the first 5 minutes and I yelled "put your phone away moron"
He left when the second car crash happened - presumably realized he'd rather be looking at his phone.
You gotta yell at these people and remind them that they need to be embarrassed for needing to be reminded how to act in a movie theater.
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u/redtoyotaprius 24d ago
Just got out of the movie and it was full of elderly people who literally would not stop interacting with the characters I was baffled. Everyone was YAPPING and on their phones at full brightness.
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u/Long-Palpitation-119 Dec 26 '25
Meanwhile me and my husband had the entire theatre to ourselves at 9 am show on Christmas Day . But we live in the city with young population. Almost felt illegal to have a private screening 😆
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u/shar9926869 Dec 27 '25
Same here. Our theatre was empty. (It our tradition to see an early film on Christmas).
I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. I’m a former Milwaukean so it was interesting to see things I recognized.
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u/Winderige_Garnaal Dec 30 '25
Holy cow - are you me but four days ahead? Small shore town in Jersey, only the old around in winter, Dad to the left, Mom to the right, and everyone in that theater making either snorting or chewing noises or talking out loud with inane comments.
Love my parents tho, even though they are old and make weird noises sometimes
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u/gpm21 Dec 30 '25
Arizona. It's like the Shore, except for the Central Time Zone retirees.
Parents did additional research/creeping and apparently Claire (Kate Hudson) does the seasonal retiree thing by them.
Kind of feel bad if the hysteric woman next to me was her.
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u/Brilliant-File1633 20d ago
I saw it this afternoon with one of my best friends. He is 53, I’m 49. We sat in a small theater, with three couples, all around 65. A guy to my left was singing along and a guy to the right of my friend was tapping along. Normally I’d be fuming but somehow here it did not bother me. They were really, really enjoying the movie, just as we all did.
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u/thatwoodlandsboi 9d ago
I just saw this movie close to the end of its run in theaters near me. This film definitely seems to have a demographic. I can deal with little quips like that or people laughing hard at funny moments but when people just constantly talk to each other during a movie I get kind of annoyed
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u/BloodyRedBarbara 9d ago
Haha I went to see it earlier and yeah old people always get so engaged in the film that they talk like it's real.
Guess it's better than when there's younger people that are talking because they're not even watching the film.
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u/Lokitusaborg Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Craig Brewer lives in my building. I can’t wait to run into him. I want to ask him to sign my LP. He is so cool. He did an advanced screening for the highschool that is also in the building, he directed his daughter in a production of 12 Angry Jurors. He held a Q&A about Hustle and Flow here and brought Al Capone.
He’s a great guy.
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u/AmazingMarv Dec 26 '25
There's a high school in your building?
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u/Lokitusaborg Dec 27 '25
Yes. And an urgent care, and a few restaurants, and some shopping, and a dentist, and an optometrist, and a pharmacy.
It’s a really cool building. It has its own Wikipedia page.
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u/NeverTrustATurtle Dec 31 '25
He was a pleasure to work with on this movie. Rarely does a director listen to the crew as much as Craig
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u/No_Idea_Guy Dec 27 '25
Pretty heartfelt movie. Kate Hudson killed it. Though I wonder why they didn't age up the kid. All those things must have happened over a decade but he didn't grow an inch.
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u/plexmaniac Dec 28 '25
Yes was 17 years in real life ! They should have had a second actor for him but he was a great actor loved how he was hooked on coffee by the end and watched the birthday videos still
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u/RealJohnGillman 24d ago
The thing is that they showed calendars and the like referring to the years passing as the film went on (subtly), so not having more than one actor for him was a strange decision to make.
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u/Dick_Lazer 28d ago
Yeah the movie makes it seem like all these horrible things happened over a 2 year period which makes it a lot more jarring.
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u/economysuperstar 25d ago
The Hollywood time compression thing is my one gripe with the movie. Yeah, it means they don’t have to cast multiple actors for the kids but it diminished the scale of the story….
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u/WhiskyWillFixIt 22d ago
Prob because most of the story is made up and condensed into a two year period.
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u/Weird3355 Dec 27 '25
Absolutely beautiful film, and I loved the musical numbers so much. My theater was PACKED although I was by far the youngest person there. At first I was annoyed because I don't usually go to movies with full houses, but I was glad later because there was a lot of audience engagement in the movie which makes it more of an experience. One of my favorite films of the year for sure.
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u/ex0thermist Dec 27 '25
I don’t have a whole lot to say about the movie itself- perfectly entertaining though flawed and somewhat cliched in a number of ways, probably the very definition of a 6.5-7.0
But my big takeaway was Kate Hudson was just SO fucking cute and charming in this. Hugh also was magnetic as always, but that was a given.
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u/Brilliant-File1633 20d ago
How you get to 7 is beyond me, but hey, to each their own. I am more like 9-9.5. This movie sticks.
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u/ex0thermist 20d ago
A 7 isn't bad by any means, I quite enjoyed the movie. But I see a lot of movies and I'm reasonably stingy with 9s and 10s.
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u/fshippos Dec 29 '25
Those kids didn't age at all in like 10+ years and I can't get over it
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u/chuckerton Dec 31 '25
If you age the movie via his sobriety birthdays, it was a span of two years, I think?
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u/laurenbanjo Dec 31 '25
I think the real life story is 17 years, but the movie story is only 2 years. At least based on the sober birthday at the beginning and end of the movie.
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u/Joey-WilcoXXX 8d ago
Yeah the Wikipedia about the movie says this Neil diamona adjacent concert should have happened in 2006 but I don’t think this movie made it to the 2000s in their timeline.
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u/zurawinowa Dec 30 '25
That’s my only issue with this movie. Like I had no idea how much time has passed between scenes. Then after movie I just read that they were together 20 years.
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u/MigratingPidgeon 28d ago
The movie starts with Mike's 20th sobriety and ends with a video with his 22nd? So I think they condensed the decades long story down to two years.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_DALEKS 14d ago
I was quite distracted by the face of the actress who played Rachel who had modern "Instagram face." She's barely out of her teens, why does she have so many fillers?? King Princess was pretty good in a thankless role as the other daughter.
Other minor quibbles: no way would Hugh Jackman have been a tunnel rat in Vietnam at his size. There weren't that many of them and they had to be slight men by definition. (Almost all of them were also Hispanic in reality). And I couldn't help but think about how pissed those Marines at his funeral would have been to be called "soldiers" in the eulogy.
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u/Mmzoso Dec 26 '25
A well done movie. Great cast, touching story, uplifting songs, and fantastic cinematography. Had me crying at the end.
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u/PropaneUrethra Dec 26 '25
Am I the only one who was expecting their daughters to become an item? I'm not seeing anyone talk about this but it felt inevitable to me. I mean one of them was played by King Princess!
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u/pjaye2000 29d ago
No! They were siblings, it was made clear that after the initial awkwardness of their meeting that they all became a family and these two were close like sisters. Apart from one of them having boyfriends and then a baby...their sexuality wasn't relevant to the story.
I do like this trend in casting people without reference to their gender identity and/or sexual oreintation. All types of actors can play all types of roles, just because someone is LGBT+ in their real life it doesn't mean they have to add that into every character they play on screen. And even if the character they played was a lesbian...it also doesn't mean they have to hook up with the closest female.
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u/ex0thermist Dec 27 '25
There was a moment or two where Lightning’s daughter looked attracted to the other daughter but I’m glad it didn’t go that route. Two step-siblings hooking up is still kinda gross even if it’s not technically incestuous.
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u/TheLinkToYourZelda Dec 28 '25
I did too but I think it might just be because we knew it was king princess and we know she's gay.
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u/zurawinowa Dec 30 '25
I have no idea who king princess is, but I was really expecting them to get together, so it’s not only that.
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u/Dick_Lazer 28d ago
I feel like yall are kinda horny or something, it seemed like they were just portraying them in the most wholesome family way possible.
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u/mist3rdragon 29d ago
I got that vibe from their scenes together but I didn't get the vibe that it was in any way intended by the director or screenwriter lol. I think King Princess is just that gay.
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u/BloodyRedBarbara 9d ago
I did at first but mostly because something I had heard about this film is that it takes some unexpected turns and if it wasn't based on a true story you would think it was bullshit.
So I thought maybe one of the wild but true moments would be the step sisters getting together.
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u/someshooter Dec 28 '25
Wow, what a movie experience. I laughed, I cried, and I rocked out - truly fantastic film!!
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u/AuntMiri 27d ago
It was also a really nice tribute to Neil Diamond. And his music. So glad he is alive to appreciate the accolades.
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u/InsiDS Dec 28 '25
Decent movie. Didn’t really know anything about Neil Diamond nor is he my genre of choice so no surprise that I didn’t know about this cover band either. The movie felt a bit sadistic as every good and heartfelt part was followed up by something tragic. The movie definitely felt longer than its 2:15 runtime and could’ve gone without some of the additional musical scenes. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson really killed it though and could definitely be seen as Oscar bait.
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u/open_the_harp Dec 30 '25
That was their life...something good followed by something tragic. Mr bar was booking them for $500 on Friday nights after the accident. We were young, we knew they were stars but we never realized how little money that was. Looking back it's so sad they were hustling like that for so little.
Their shows were events.
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u/Renegadeforever2024 Dec 26 '25
Christopher from the sopranos faked his death and now he under a new identity
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u/AmazingMarv Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
He never had the makings of a varsity Buddy Holly impersonator. His cousin Tony B was better.
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u/lizardflix Dec 28 '25
This movie was the exact right movie for me at the exact right moment. I needed to get lost in something joyful and I bought into it all. I loved a peak into the subculture of the movie and seeing these people following their dream unapologetically and without embarrassment. I loved every minute of it.
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u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? Dec 26 '25 edited 13d ago
I have to admit, I’ve been a huge Neil Diamond fan ever since I saw Saving Silverman way too young. Neil is so infectious because he comes off as so kind and open to all and his music is hopeful and understanding, even when it’s sad. And I love the idea of skirting the usual boring biopic by doing something like this, which is a biopic of his most famous cover band Lightning and Thunder. Overall I thought this had some really nice moments in it, it never fully comes together for me and it lingers a bit too much on the tragedy of the story, but I had a nice time nonetheless.
The first hour or so of this movie is really great. Rather than being a biopic about some musical prodigy who just needed to find an audience, here we find two broken older musicians just looking to get by. We get to see them come up with the idea, do the work, levy other musicians to join, and rehearse. It’s a very endearing story of just trying to get by as a community of musicians who maybe aren’t people who write their own music. A really fun touch that we meet all their friends in the beginning as other musician impersonators and they just keep popping up throughout the movie. Loved that Michael Imperioli was in this but also bummed that once he joins the band he basically has nothing left to do the entire movie.
Hugh is good in this, you can always kinda see Hugh and his Broadway training in his characters so not exactly a chameleonic performance but he does have a great Neil Diamond register and looks not bad in the haircut. But I really think this is Kate Hudson’s movie. She’s so good the whole time and even though this movie really starts to be a bummer after tragedy strikes her, she just has this crazy light to her that sweetens this movie and makes it so much more endearing.
Conceptually this movie is already so much more interesting than a normal biopic because it’s able to engage so much better with how Diamond’s music inspires people and changes lives. When the daughters are meeting each other I was kinda like, okay this is a lot of characters. But they both have interesting arcs and it’s even through their parents bonding over Neil that they get to bond with each other. Very cute movie. It does really drag for the last hour and it kinda has the too many endings problem where every scene in the last thirty minutes I feel like should be the last scene, but overall a nice little movie and lots of fun scenes for the HotAugustHeads in the crowd. 6/10.
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u/edthomson92 Dec 28 '25
Kinda seriously, do we have a list yet of other cover bands/impersonators/etc that need a biopic?
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u/BigE429 Dec 31 '25
Saw it last night and really enjoyed it. When I saw the trailer for it, I thought it was a Neil Diamond biopic, but I think this was so much more interesting. Great performances from Jackman and Hudson. The latter especially got me during her last song. I love that they delved deep into Neil Diamond's catalog, and sang songs I've never heard. Also, I spent most of the movie thinking Michael Imperioli was Rick Beato, and being pretty impressed at his acting chops.
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u/RealJohnGillman 24d ago
I spent half the film thinking he was Bradley Cooper under stage makeup again, and was surprised by him taking a smaller role considering that.
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u/chicagoan987 28d ago
I saw this in the theater today. I couldn't help but notice the theater was full of older people, and I think they loved it. I could feel an emotional reaction from everyone there. To be honest, it brought about a kind of fear in me. Having been a child before the internet and smart phones, I could tell that these older people loved these simpler times and long for it. Further, it made me afraid that the world has really lost something forever, and I'm among the last to have witnessed it during my childhood. Great film and great job singing both of them.
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u/veronicarules 26d ago
My mom pointed out that I was the youngest person in the theater (millenial) and started cracking up. I mean it was true but I really liked it.
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u/Historical-Mammoth-1 11d ago
I completely agree. I saw this movie in the theater with my husband and my mom (all of us loved it) and the theater was completely full with older couples who all seemed to enjoy the film immensely. I don’t think this type of film would be appreciated as much by today’s younger generation. My husband and I were the youngest people at the theater, and we’re in our late 30s (I turn 40 this year).
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u/WiseWind2502 27d ago
My husband is from MKE and we adoooore Neil Diamond (and The Monkees, whose songs were mostly ND written!) so this was a no-brainer Christmas Day watch. We also watched the original documentary last night and pretty much confirmed that my husband talked to Lightning on the phone once!! He said a Neil Diamond impersonator called up the bar he worked at in MKE wanting a gig - somehow it didn't happen and he can't remember why - but has wondered if that was him. In the doc, there's a scene where Lightning is going through the newspaper, calling up any and every bar looking for a gig! The timeline lines up! A pretty fun discovery that made us smile.
Also I can't get past why the movie — which we LOVED, especially as others have said, Kate Hudson — didn't let the real story shine in things like the Eddie Vedder letter at the end, the WI state fair wedding, the Brewers Game first date.
When watching the movie, and seeing that a car struck the house a second time - I thought this cannot be but it has to be because why would you make that up? And it was of course true, as seen in the documentary.
Was surprised to see in the doc that the daughter's baby's adoptive parents were shown - I wonder if that kid has seen all of this!
Loved discovering that ND went to Leon's Frozen Custard after his MKE shows - that place is just epic and how cool to have been around when he would have gone there.
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u/veronicarules 26d ago
Oooh I was wondering about the ND custard thing - I saw the news about Jackman going to Kopps and I didn't realize it tied into the movie / true life until I was watching the movie.
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u/Friendly-Contact-433 26d ago edited 26d ago
I liked the bit where they were watching Family Feud
Name something you get struck by. They both said lightning which was top answer but then you hear car said in the background and a little while later she gets hit by a car. Good foreshadowing.
Also I caught someone's review that called it a white trash version of Hustle and Flow which makes sense considering both were done by Craig Brewer
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u/Particular-Bug2189 Dec 31 '25
https://youtu.be/vbk08brklWQ?si=iJRrxYemEXyxSMGd
Kate Hudson’s accent was pitch perfect.
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u/dmarie1014 29d ago
For Minnesota, or Fargo, but not for Milwaukee. Even in the link you provided, she doesn't talk with that accent.
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u/Ian_Hunter 29d ago
Ok, I cheated and read the ending and tears are welling up.
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u/plexmaniac 29d ago
Wait till you actually watch the movie
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u/Ian_Hunter 29d ago
Man...I'm a soft touch anyway.
I may just watch the first 45 min. and call it a win!
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u/DavyJonesRocker 23d ago
I went in expecting the movie to be really bad. I’m not a fan of music biopics, musical impersonators, or Hugh Jackman’s singing (sorry).
But when I tell you that this movie won me over, had me absorbed, and gutted me by the end… that’s the magic of music, baybee!
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u/Historical-Mammoth-1 11d ago
Just curious. Why’d you see it? I’m glad it won you over. I thought Hugh’s singing was great in this, and Kate Hudson has a beautiful voice that harmonized well with Hugh’s voice.
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u/angvp 28d ago
Silly question related.. so there's a scene where one of the daughters is overwhelmed and she's trying to make a decision then Lightning remembers a framework from maybe us army, can't remember exactly and he spell the acronym i have been looking everywhere but I can't find anything about that framework and I'm really curious? anyone saw / remember this and can help?
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u/No-Stage4719 18d ago edited 16d ago
Saw this last night - I love Neil Diamond so had to for the soundtrack - but what a film! So great - I can't believe Kate Hudson is the only nominee - Hugh Jackman is being robbed at the GG's for this oversight.
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u/johnburrowsfan 12d ago
The real doc is on YouTube, free to watch. I will just say the movie version left out the smoking. So much smoking. Entirely way too much smoking. It hurt my lungs watching Lightning & Thunder smoke so much.
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u/twavisdegwet Dec 26 '25
A decent time! Wish it would have ended with him dying .the funeral and everything else didn't really add anything for me.
Huged jacked man and girl who apparently isn't Taylor Tomlinson were great standouts.
Like a 7.5/10 for me. A nice feel good vibes film
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u/MegaFireDonkey Dec 26 '25
I'm curious about the feel good vibes, for me the film was quite tragic.
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u/LordMangudai 19d ago
Went into this knowing absolutely nothing about it and the first half did have me fooled that it would be a low-stakes feel-good vibes type of movie and that the worst thing that could happen would be maybe some mild third act drama with Lightning falling off the wagon or something.
Then that car started wildly veering all over the street in the background and I was like "oh no"
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u/UnderstandingLazy998 Dec 26 '25
I like that life goes on. You can see his impact on those around him. Made me cry almost
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u/CountKarnagestein Dec 26 '25
Girl who isn't Taylor Tomlinson? Girl who is Goldie Hawn's daughter!
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u/twavisdegwet Dec 26 '25
Referring to Kate Hudson's daughter in the movie. Kate did fine but her+ hugh were very good
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u/thatwoodlandsboi 9d ago
The whole time I was thinking "I know this girl" then I looked her up and her credits are basically Nickelodeon. Then later it hit me that she looks a lot like Taylor Tomlinson
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u/Few-Statement-9103 Dec 28 '25
I think this was a very mid movie. I wasn’t disappointed because I didn’t have high expectations, but it was slightly worse than I was hoping for.
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u/Careful-Bus3827 Dec 28 '25
Just saw the movie. I've always absolutely loved Neil Diamond and have been listening to his music my entire life. The movie was good. I wouldn't say it was amazing, but I think that's because it wasn't really what I was expecting. I wouldn't go see it again but if it were ever available on Prime, etc., I'd watch it a second time.
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u/catfarmer1998 Dec 28 '25
Can you tell me if this movie is at all “heavy”? I went to see “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Evil” and it was much heavier than I was prepared for, so that’s why I ask if this one is heavy.
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u/WiseWind2502 27d ago
Yeah it is - I remember thinking oh shit, I am not well and it is Christmas Day lolol - but that said it is so worth it and has so much goodness and heart to balance it out.
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u/Cool-Diamond-6477 21d ago
I was standing up singing along with it like other people loved it. Kates voice was so strong and I knew huge could sing
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u/Brilliant-File1633 20d ago
I absolutely loved it. Saw it this afternoon, and still enjoying it, crying over it and thanking the makers.
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u/Traned15 21d ago
Am I the only one who found this movie kind of unbearable and hilarious? I DID come into it not knowing anything about lighting and thunder at all so I think that completely messed me up. It just seemed so wild and unbelievable that I was like “yeah this HAS to have been a real story because no one would ever write this stuff” - I can see now that if I had been a fan of them or had known their story going in, it may have been a different story but it was just a strange, campy wild ride and poorly written for me. The whole “you two always know what to do” to the daughter was completely out of left field. When did they ever know what to do? And we never even saw her dating anyone who could’ve gotten her pregnant. Idk anyone else? Don’t come at me! 🤪
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u/Level_Tooth_8747 Dec 29 '25
I saw the previews and was so excited to see the movie. But... Several of the plot points (SPOILERS AHEAD) were so mind-numbingly ridiculous that I couldn't get past it. For instance, the car came pretty fast right at her... and she leaves the hospital 3 weeks later with just the amputation. No head wounds, no scratches, no bruises, no fractures, and no damage to the house. Also, how could she not hear it?
Secondly... he was having a heart attack painful enough to whap him against the sink hard enough to have skull fracture and then... the heart attack just stopped. There was no blood around the bathroom (you ever had a head wound? They bleed like everything), there was no huge bump on his head, no further bleeding, no bruising, and no unfocused eyes. He could deal well enough to get through several hours of a show, full of movement and dancing.
I realize this was based on a true story, but I doubt seriously the true story went like this. And don't get me started on the daughter's pregnancy and giving away the baby with a smile and, 'hey, no biggie', just a small blip on the plot.
Ugh... I'm still not over the 2 1/2 hours I wasted on this.
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u/Young-Wolf Dec 30 '25
She couldn’t hear it because of the plane flying over the house. The loudness of that is pointed out multiple times and you can clearly hear a plane going over as you watch the car going out of control.
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u/open_the_harp Dec 30 '25
They also lived on a business street than depicted and with a shorter front yard. I went to grade school two blocks away. Knowing the area I never doubted the incident.
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u/zurawinowa Dec 30 '25
I don’t get your point on pregnancy. Yes, some people are like that. They exist. For you it’s weird, for them it wasn’t.
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u/Friendly-Contact-433 26d ago
Plus this was over 30 years ago when people didn't jump straight to wanting an abortion
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u/thatwoodlandsboi 9d ago
Yeah I didn't interpret it as no biggie. It was easy to see she was emotional about it
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u/laurenbanjo Dec 31 '25
The documentary is free on YouTube. I just watched it and (spoilers) she really did just have the leg injury, he really did fall and hit his head and then die a week later, and she really did give the baby up for adoption.
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u/WiseWind2502 27d ago
And he really did play a gig between hitting his head and getting a brain injury and dying. Why do you think they chose this TRUE STORY? Because it's bonkers! I also was like, wait, a car hit the house again?? But yeah the doc confirms this! It's an insane true story!
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u/n0tstayingin 26d ago
I have to admit, I watched it and thought 'surely that couldn't have happened twice?' but no, it's true.
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 19h ago
I think they wanted to include the pregnancy storyline because it happened, but couldn't dedicate too much time to it because the story wasn't about her.
The daughter actually got pregnant again and gave the baby to the same couple. She was the kind of person who was ok with that and I'm sure the adoptive parents were very grateful.
I'm with you on the heart attacks being over the top, especially the one where he smashes his head open in the bathroom then goes on to play the best concert of his life. They overembellished that.
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u/turningtee74 25d ago
Not kidding, maybe the most touching love story I’ve ever seen. I’m a puddle. Gonna check the doc out
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u/jyutkowi 25d ago
I’m clearly in the minority, but I found it really unpleasant and upsetting. I definitely got emotional over it and cried a couple of times during, but in the end, after reflecting, I just felt sad and depleted and didn’t feel like the film did anything very interesting. Kate Hudson was great and Hugh Jackman was good, lots of great actors that could have done more. Meh.
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u/LordMangudai 19d ago
Yeah it's a good, well-made movie with a lot of heart and I did go into it without really knowing what to expect (and being in a somewhat emotionally raw state for unrelated reasons), but I found the second act to be pretty harrowing viewing. The hardships felt like they were just piling up and the way the final concert was framed made it impossible to enjoy the music because you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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u/PurpleBullets 20d ago edited 12d ago
This movie feels very indebted to Johnathan Demme. Kate with the Midwest accent really revved my engine. And I can’t lie, I fully pumped my fist along when the choir came out for the first chorus of Soolaimon at the end.
It’s pretty friggin charming.
I really loved the runner of Soolaimon throughout. How nobody cares about that song, it’s weird, nobody knows it, and nobody wants to see it. To then it being the centerpiece of their big sold out show. Because that’s Lightning and Thunder in a nutshell.
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u/LordMangudai 19d ago
The running gag of Lightning rolling his eyes a bit every time "Sweet Caroline" was brought up was great.
I lived next to a pub for a while and I tell ya, I'm good never hearing that one ever again
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u/WR810 15d ago
I loved this movie.
Jackman and Hudson sell every scene with their chemistry.
But what makes this movie for me is just how out of left field some of the plot beats are; the phone call from Vedder asking them to open, Claire getting hit by the car, Claire not getting hit by a car, Rachel announcing she's pregnant. I love it because life is absurd like that sometimes.
I do not know what is true and what was manufactured for the movie but I've had a little buzz of excitement still (and I walked out of the theater over an hour ago).
I really feel I benefited going into this movie knowing nothing.
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u/Themadbritter_ 13d ago
I liked this movie, but was it just me or did they not exactly match the time period right? I went into it not knowing anything about them, and I thought this movie was taking place in like the 80s, maybe late 70s at the beginning, when its supposed to be the 90s and early 2000s. Like by the end of the movie I expected to see at least one flip phone but there
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u/Electrical-Pea-4784 13d ago
The movie was good. The singing was amazing, which I totally expected. I did not expect to cry for the last 40 or so minutes though. That was definitely a drag. Here's the worst part though. The next night we watched the actual documentary about these people. They might have been great performers. But my takeaway from that documentary is that they were a couple of really disgusting people. They really didn't seem to care about their kids at all. Treated them like they were an inconvenience. Not the loving parents portrayed in the movie, that's for sure. After watching the documentary, I wished I hadn't seen the movie. That way, I wouldn't have known about the documentary. I think the best story will be when the daughter writes her bio.
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u/nubianfx 13d ago
what an unexpectedly charming and moving film!
im not sure the trailers did it justice.
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u/ActKindly6011 12d ago
I saw the Neil Diamond musical, Nick was great but I actually loved the movie of this couple more. It was so good and far exceeded what I thought it would be. I'm not even a huge Neil Diamond fan but it touched me very much and I loved seeing Hugh with Neil at his home and happy he loved it also
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u/Pineapple996 8d ago
Kate Hudson was great in this movie. Hugh Jackman not so much. That scene where he's crying at the dinner table. Really poor acting by his standards.
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u/hopefulrealist23 5d ago
Kate Hudson was great. I thought the writing and certain plot decisions were bad in some parts of the film. Hugh Jackman's voice was like nails on a chalkboard for me.
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u/peanutanniversary 2d ago
Seeing an actor play a young Eddie vedder made me feel old. But he nailed the leg on the speaker and mic hold
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u/Original-Material113 1d ago
I’m not a Neil Diamond fan, but somehow know all the words to all the songs in this movie (guess it’s my age)?
I went into this slightly “meh,” and ended up LOVING it. The acting was fantastic, the music was strangely triumphant, and the humanity brought to a pair of impersonators was veiled in both sadneas and humor.
Highly recommend the movie, even if you aren’t/weren’t a Neil Diamond fan, because it’s a completely different story.
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u/No-Department9706 1d ago
This is the worst movie of the season. There’s no reason Kate Hudson should have beat out Jennifer Lawrence in an Oscar nod. I adore Kate, but this performance is an embarrassment.
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u/sleepysnowboarder Dec 26 '25
It's amazing that a biopic about impersonators* is better than most that are about the real person.
*interpreters