Hugh Jackman plays Mike Sardina and Kate Hudson plays Claire Sardina in director Craig Brewer’s (among his previous films are the Footloose remake in 2011and Katie Perry: part Of Me in 2012) highly enjoyable Song Sung Blue. 

Based on a 2008 documentary of the same name Song Sung Blue tells the true story of how, in Milwaukee in the USA, Mike Sardina, a Don Ho (a Hawaiian pop artist rom the 60s and 70s) impersonator at an amusement park, and Claire, a Patsy Cline tribute artist, meet and go on to form part of a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning and Thunder.

Brewer’s film, as you would expect, is full of Neil Diamonds classic songs and Jackman as you would expect is just terrific as Mike. However it’s Hudson, proving herself more than a match for Jackman when it comes to holding a tune, who really steals the show.

Song Sung Blue will no doubt appeal to a more mature cinema audience but that is doing it an injustice as it’s appeal, thanks to the wonderful music and top rate performances, should go further than that. If you are a lover of music, and Jackman, Song Sung Blue is not to be missed.

Hopefully Song Song Blue, the first UK cinema release of 2026, signals, after a pretty dismal offering of films in 2025, that we might just be in for a few treats in 2026.