In Theaters via Focus Features on December 25 is ‘Song Sung Blue’, which sounds like it should be a Neil Diamond biopic, but is in fact the adaptation of a documentary about a couple who covered his tracks while dealing with difficult moments in life.
We have had such a glut of music biopics in recent years, unleashed by the success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ that you might roll your eyes at the idea that ‘Song Sung Blue’ delves into some aspect of crooner Neil Diamond’s life.
Instead, writer/director/producer Craig Brewer has unearthed Greg Kohs’ underappreciated 2008 documentary about a real-life couple who formed a Diamond tribute act, chronicling the highs and lows in their own family.
Brewer certainly knows how to bring music to screens, and in ‘Dolemite Is My Name,’ he took an effective, funny look at a real-life person. With ‘Song Sung Blue,’ he combines those to largely winning effect, though it is sometimes hampered by what is invented (coincidence and convenience in the service of heartstring plucking) and suffers from what’s best described as ‘Return of the King’ syndrome –– multiple moments where there could be a natural ending, but the movie keeps going.
Still, Brewer has found a fantastic story here –– one that the trailer doesn’t fully address, and this is best enjoyed without knowing too much –– and draws superb performances from the whole cast, including Jackman and particularly Hudson.
While it might seem to be Jackson’s film as Mike Sardina initially, it evolves to become much more of a two-hander, Hudson enjoying her best role in years.
Around them, the supporting cast work well without slipping too often into expected beats (tough when it’s a true story on display).
‘Song Sung Blue’ should entertain even those who don’t know their Neil Diamond from their ‘Diamond Jim’, proving to be a welcome dose of real sentiment in an awards season that has been in need of it.
Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
Opening in theaters on December 25th is the new movie ‘Song Sung Blue’, which is based on the documentary of the same name and tells the true story of Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder.
‘Song Sung Blue’ writer and director Craig Brewer’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with writer and director Craig Brewer about his work on ‘Song Sung Blue’, the documentary that inspired it, developing the screenplay, why Hugh Jackman recommended Kate Hudson for the film, and their on-screen chemistry together.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to watching the documentary, the challenges of adapting it into a screenplay, and why you wanted to tell this story as a filmmaker?
Craig Brewer: Well, I think that I was fooled a little bit. I think I went into this documentary thinking I was just going to watch of a fluffy movie about a Neil Diamond tribute band and I was rooting for this couple as they went about their journey with it. But then suddenly this amazing story with tragedy and commitment to each other and love and family started to unfold. I just felt like, oh, this movie is really about the kind of people that I’m gravitating to in my work. It was about four years after ‘Hustle & Flow’ and it took a long time for people to even bend their mind around the idea of doing that movie. Like, “What could we possibly have in common with a pimp who wants to be a rap artist?” But really, people find that they’re relating to the characters if you treat them with respect and with honesty and try to remove some cynicism from it. I just thought that this story, if someone would trust me enough to do this, that you can take all the music of Neil Diamond, all the lyrics that I think are about being isolated, about being lost and trying to find your way, and put it into a movie that’s really inspiring about people that aren’t in the spotlight.
MF: Finally, I understand that Hugh Jackman recommended Kate Hudson for this role. Can you talk about that and their incredible on-screen chemistry together?
CB: I got a text from Hugh saying, “Kate is Claire. Claire is Kate. Check out this interview that she’s doing on television.” I’ve been trying to make a movie with Kate for about 20 years. I’ve been to her house on three different occasions with three different scripts. I always found her to be an incredible actress, but also just a delightful person that I wanted to be around. Then when I got that message from Hugh, and I saw this television interview with Kate, she was tearing up because she was at a different place in her life. Her son was going off to college, and I was like, well, that can’t be right, I remember when that boy was a baby or a toddler. Then it suddenly hit me. We’re older. We’ve had marriages. We’ve had divorces. We’ve had life. We’ve had a lot of stuff happened to us since you last saw Kate. I also saw that she wanted to sing. She was going to, I wouldn’t say leave Hollywood behind, but she was going to really take a break and start writing songs, going on tour, and playing gigs. I thought, is it just me or is Kate basically auditioning for this movie without even knowing about it? So, she got the script, all three of us got on a Zoom together and I think the three of us basically decided that we’re the ones to make this movie. So, we moved forward with incredible trust and confidence.
Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
Nicole Kidman in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Season 2 receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
Released on Hulu on May 21st with the first two episodes followed by one weekly, the second season of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ re-introduces us to enigmatic and experimental wellness “expert” Masha Dmitrichenko (Nicole Kidman), who is still finding ways to have her clients deal with their issues –– usually through the liberal application of pharmaceuticals.
Henry Golding in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
Given the chaos that enveloped the first season’s batch of clients, who showed up at a Californian retreat to be greeted by the mysterious Masha (Kidman), you might struggle to believe that anyone would want to subject themselves to her ministrations.
Yet without that suspension of disbelief (and honestly in the word of the wealthy and emotionally desperate, there is plenty of that), Season 2 of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ really wouldn’t exist.
It has a dramatic kin in ‘The White Lotus’ –– sharing the idea of privileged types going through experiences and (sometimes) processing trauma –– and like Mike White’s show for HBO, does rather run the risk of repeating itself.
Script and Direction
Dolly De Leon in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
While Season 1 was mostly based on Liane Moriarty’s source novel, here show bosses David E. Kelley and John-Henry Butterworth branch off on their own storyline, with a similar concept but a brand new setting.
Here, the castle-like mansion of Zauberwald, nestled in breathtaking Alpine scenery is the location for the new retreat that Masha has been curating thanks to her old friend Helena (Olin).
While the frosty locale feels like an even more fitting background for Kidman’s chilly manipulator, the scripts can’t completely get away from the feeling that we’re treading similar ground. True, the issues are slightly different –– while Season 1 had a family mired in grief over the death of a teen, here there two different dysfunctional parent/grown child dynamics, along with a collection of other troubled souls –– but you really know a lot more what to expect this time, and the surprise is not there.
(L to R) King Princess and Maisie Richardson-Sellers in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
It won’t surprise you to learn (though we won’t specify how) that none of the guests are there by accident, but while the trippy sequences still work to some degree, with the highlights including Murray Bartlett’s disgraced children’s TV host talking with sentient versions of his own puppets and a standout sequence exploring the tortured history of Annie Murphy’s Imogen and mother Victoria, played by Christine Baranski, there’s less of a frisson this time.
Jonathan Levine, who was an executive producer and directed all of Season 1, returns for the lion’s share of the episodes, with Anthony Byrne also handling some. The Alpine setting does provide some visual interest, and the stark, strange castle retreat makes for a fun location. The visual language of the drug trips has also expanded in entertaining ways this season.
Cast and Performances
(Lto R) Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Murray Bartlett in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
As with the first season, one of the strongest elements of the new run lies in the casting. Once you get over the idea of anyone willingly putting themselves in Masha’s hands, you can revel in several solid acting turns.
Murray Bartlett is prime among them. Having been on the other side of the retreat coin as the nervy, stressed Armond in ‘The White Lotus’ first season, here he’s still giving excellent energy as Brian, who was effectively cancelled after raging at his staff on camera. Bartlett is so good with this type of character, bringing nuance and depth to him.
Christine Baranski is playing a familiar role as the booze-happy Victoria, but once again her sheer ability to bring something extra to what could be a basic role is a marvel to behold. She makes for a great parent/child pairing with Annie Murphy, who channels real frustration and entitlement as Imogen, her daughter.
Mark Strong in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
In similar fashion, Mark Strong and Henry Golding make for a good pair as billionaire David and troubled son Peter, whose relationship has been fractured by David’s past infidelity to Peter’s mother. They play well off each other, even if their storyline sometimes feels like an off-the-shelf dilemma.
Dolly DeLeon, meanwhile, is another standard as questioning nun Sister Agnes, struggling over past decisions and questioning her faith in not just her Catholic religion.
And, of course, Kidman, who while she’s really just doing a variation on her standard icy power play, still finds sparks of humanity within Masha, especially when the show takes a further dip into her past.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Annie Murphy and Aras Aydin in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ premiering May 21, 2025 on Hulu. Photo: Disney/Reiner Bajo.
The second season of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ cannot entirely escape the feeling of déjà vu despite some fresh twists and turns. Still, the heightened reality works for the most part and the cast bring committed, watchable performances that carry this over the line.
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What’s the plot of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Season 2?
Nicole Kidman returns as the enigmatic healing guru Masha in the second season, based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel.
A new batch of wellness-seekers arrive at a mysterious Alpine resort of looking for transformative paths to betterment and happiness. During their stay, the guests partake in unconventional methods to reach their goals while Masha is forced to confront some past demons… Threatening to destroy both her own personal wellness, and that of her guests.
