How much of Song Sung Blue is a true story? Here is the truth

This article contains spoilers for “Sung Blue Song”.

The claim that “Song Sung Blue” is based on a true story doesn’t just appear in the film’s advertising campaign. Craig Brewer’s film begins with a title card that reads “Based on a true love story.” The mawkish wording of this might imply to the more cynical among us that the film will play fast and loose with all the facts, all in the name of emotional manipulation. After all, audiences have generally become accustomed to end-of-year tears at the Oscars. As if to confirm these suspicions, “Song Sung Blue” contains not one but several emotional left turns abrupt enough to make the “This Is Us” editorial team blushed.

It turns out, however, that the majority of these almost unbelievable twists and tragedies are actually taken from real life. “Song Sung Blue” is based on the lives of Claire Sardina (played by Kate Hudson) and Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman), two live music artists from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who met and fell in love in the late 1980s. As the film shows, they made their living as celebrity impersonators in various venues, only for the couple to come up with the idea of starting a Neil Diamond tribute band (and not an act (identity theft) titled Lightning and Thunder, with Mike as Lightning and Claire as Thunder. After that, a series of triumphs and tragedies took place, and all of them appear in the film with very little embellishment. Here’s how “Song Sung Blue” actually happened.

“Song Sung Blue” is based on the real lives of Claire and Mike through Greg Kohs’ 2008 documentary of the same name. Kohs followed the Sardinas for years, so there was plenty of material for Brewer, Jackman and Hudson to draw on. Like in the movie, the real Mike was a Vietnam War veteran, a mechanic, attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and also suffered from coronary problems. Meanwhile, the real Claire, who was a hairdresser before venturing into Lightning and Thunder concerts, was hit by an out-of-control car right outside her home on May 10, 1999. The accident eventually caused her to lose her left foot, leading to a long and difficult recovery period during which Claire battled depression. One of the most scandalous moments in the film is when another a car hits the Sardina house for the second time. Surprisingly, this happened on September 8, 1999 (the same year!), even though Mike and Claire were inside.

Brewer takes another little creative liberty with the tragedy that also befell Mike. Like in the movie, the real Mike Sardina fell and hit his head, an injury that led to internal bleeding that doctors were unable to stem. After slipping into a coma, Mike died a few days after his fall on July 27, 2006. In the film, this fatal fall occurs just before Lightning and Thunder’s biggest concert to date, which is of course an over-the-top dramatic choice. However, a bit more intense drama that actually happened was the scene earlier in the film when Lightning and Thunder open for Pearl Jam and are joined on stage by Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith). This performance of Diamond’s “Forever in Blue Jeans” actually took place in July 1995.

Although there are some embellishments to Mike and Claire’s story throughout the film, “Song Sung Blue” largely tells their story straight. The greatest dramatic license is to condense and compress the truth into a nebulous timeline. While the film does indeed keep things in the correct era of the 1990s in general, it does not use on-screen markers to indicate when events occur. Audiences might believe that the film takes place over a few years rather than a decade and a half.

During an interview with On Milwaukee in 2003, Mike told the publication that his resemblance to Neil Diamond was meant to be perfect, saying that “A lot of people thought I was really him.” In the film, Jackman’s Mike admits to Claire that he doesn’t sound too much like Diamond, especially in his singing voice. In fact, this is one of the main reasons he and Claire form Lightning and Thunder instead of Diamond’s act of impersonation. This discrepancy is probably due to the Jackman equation. more theatrical vocal technique different from Diamond’s troubadour style more than anything else.

As with any adaptation of any source materialthe key to success is not the letter, but the spirit of the story, and Brewer and his cast undoubtedly deliver that. The major rhythms of the tale of the Sardinas seem to be able to be exploited during maximum Oscar baitYet Brewer remains focused and focuses more on the duo’s love of music and performing than their personal struggles. This approach seems to fit the vibe of the real Sardinas, making “Song Sung Blue” less of a sordid exploitation of their tragedy than a tribute to their spirit.

“Song Sung Blue” is in cinemas around the world.