The new movie “Song Sung Blue” is about the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina and their ongoing struggles to become “intermediate celebrities” in the Midwest as singer impersonators and interpreters. This story shines a light on facts that many already know: that trying to make it in show business is a nightmare, no-money grind that can last many years with no payoff for too many thousands of people who have a dream that is never realized.

Whenever I see a rare film like this, which is about the impossible dream of show business, I think of actors like George Clooney, who in 1982 moved to Hollywood at age 21, and had to beg people he knew to sleep on their couch for 5 years. Clooney begged them for money and was completely broke at 27. Clooney finally got his first big break at age 33 in 1994 when he was cast as a young doctor on ER. How many of us would ever have the courage and perseverance to live a life like this, even if they knew in advance that they would wind up like George Clooney, who at age 64 is now worth over 500 million dollars? The famous story about Clooney is that in 2013, he invited 14 longtime friends to dinner and gave each one a million dollars in cash, to thank them for the significant help they had provided him during those years of financial desperation.

The most amazing about George Clooney is not only how he survived these nightmare years but how he was able to find 14 friends who helped him during this impossible time in his life. This is the reality of following your dream in show business. We always know about the lucky few who make it, but rarely about the tens of thousands who are always on the “outside looking in”.

Mike Sardina is played by Hugh Jackman, who is perfectly suited for this role with solid acting and many scenes of singing either as a solo artist or with his wife Claire, played by Kate Hudson, who proves in this movie that she is a very good singer. Mike and Claire meet at a local fair and eventually marry, starting a group that tours local bars and small venues, calling themselves “Thunder and Lightning”, where Mike impersonates Neil Diamond and Clair impersonates Patsy Cline. The Neil Diamond songs are almost always dominated by his most popular hit, “Sweet Caroline,” and who knows how many thousands of times Diamond sang this song during his career.

Throughout this well-told story, Mike’s struggles to survive financially are well documented, as he takes odd jobs as a mechanic and carpenter just to be very close to financial ruin, always several mortgage payments behind in his below-average house that is right next to a major airport, where huge planes constantly fly over. Mike also has a severe ongoing heart problem that appears in several scenes, will eventually take his life.

Thunder and Lightning is a major hit in the Midwest, with the group eventually opening for the band Pearl Jam. Then real life takes over, and there is a tragedy that puts Mike and Claire’s success on hold for a long time, until there is an unlikely comeback, and a conclusion that is both tragic and expected.

Song Sung Blue includes actor Jim Belushi, who is very good in his role as the group’s travel agent, and Fisher Stevens, who is a close friend of Mike’s and eventually becomes a member of the group. This story does a very good job of showing the stark reality of trying to travel the United States and play broken-down bars to crowds as small as 25 people for very little money. It is no wonder that most people give up their dream after just a few years of trying to pursue an unlikely miracle.

The Rotten Tomatoes ratings for this movie are too low at 76% with my rating 85% for the true story, and the singing and acting of Jackman and Hudson. I give a strong recommendation to this story about pursuing your dreams, no matter what the cost. Below are the movie trailer and the documentary that inspired this movie.