Song sung blue movie review

 

  

On January 3rd, I saw the movie Song Sung Blue at the AMC in Mountainside with some friends of mine. It was about Lightning and Thunder who were a famous Neil Diamond tribute band. They were composed of married couple Mike and Claire Sardina.  

The movie starts out with Mike Sardina as a Don Ho impersonator at the Wisconsin State fair. He wants to perform as himself and refuses to go onstage as Don Ho. He quits. 

He meets Claire Stingl who is a Patsy Cline impersonator. After she sings "Walking after midnight" Claire and Mike discuss future plans as a Neil Diamond tribute act. They soon fall in love. Claire tells Mike that she is divorced with two children. Mike discloses that he battled alcohol addiction and he is sober for 20+ years. They soon get married. 

Mike is friends with Mark Shurilla who used to be a Buddy Holly impersonator. Mark is now the guitarist for the Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder. Lightning and Thunder have successful live performances on stage and many people love them. They are critically acclaimed.  

Claire is planting flowers outside when she was involved in a hit and run car accident. She and her family were in a panic. Claire survived the accident, but one of her legs gets removed.

Lighting and Thunder are on a break because of the accident and Claire got depressed. She was in bed a lot and got atached  to pain pills. She ends up being on a prosthetic leg because of the accident. Her husband Mike tries to help her, but Claire accuses Mike of cheating which he did not. 

Mike stayed faithful to Claire, even before the accident. She later gets psychiatric help and they reconcile. 

Claire persuades Mike that Lightning and Thunder should get back together and tour again. Mike happily agrees.

Mike has a heart condition and has a heart attack before a gig, falls and hits his head. At first he survives. The show starts out with a James Brown impersonator named Sex Machine, who is a friend if Mike's. Sex Machine introduces them. The performance is a success and Mike is able to sing.

Mike and Claire planned to meet Neil Diamond at an ice cream shop after the show is over.  In the car, on the way to the ice cream shop, Mike passes away from his earlier head injury.

Claire sings at his funeral. After the funeral, we see Claire's two children from her first marriage remembering him. Claire's son watches a video that he filmed with Mike playing his guitar. 

Have you guys seen the movie? What is your favorite Neil Diamond song? Comment below!