Starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, and Jim Belushi
Directed by Craig Brewer
Music and Lyrics by Neil Diamond and others
We end our 2025 theatrical reviews the way we began them, with a biography of a unique rock act from the 90's. Although the Diamond tribute duo Lightning and Thunder never made it quite as big as Robbie Williams, they were legendary in their native Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Locals loved them for their showmanship, their devotion to Diamond's legacy, and for managing to overcome some huge hurdles on the way to winning the hearts of Wisconsin classic rock lovers. How does their story look almost 30 years later? We begin in 1994, as 20-years-sober musician Mike "Lightning" Sardinia (Jackman) performs "Song Sung Blue" for his Alcoholics Anonymous group, and find out...
The Story: Mike is sick of the low-level amusement park gigs his manager and dentist Tom D'Amato (Belushi) finds him. He wants to be himself, not imitate another performer. He does fall for the woman imitating Patsy Cline at the show, Claire (Hudson). She's bubbly, sweet, and just as devoted to Cline's music as he is to Neil Diamond's. It's her idea to start a Neil Diamond tribute act, singing his music as themselves with a band of their own.
Mike's daughter Angelina (King Princess) and Claire's daughter Rachel (Anderson) and her son Dayna (Hudson Hensley) are skeptical at first. They've seen their parents attempt to succeed in show business and not get anywhere. Not only do the kids get along famously, with the girls becoming best friends, but their parents get pretty chummy, too. Though Lightning and Thunder's first gig is a disaster, Mike still proposes to Claire.
After they get married, business picks up, to the point where they're called to open for Pearl Jam when they play Milwaukee. Things take a turn for the worst shortly after when Claire is run over by a car in front of their home and loses her left leg below the knee. Mike won't sing without her, and a frustrated Rachel reveals she's pregnant, too. Not to mention, Mike is battling his own heart problems. After a hallucination ends with her crawling on the front lawn, Claire finally gets help...and she's the one who convinces Mike, who is hosting karaoke at a Thai restaurant, to give the act one last chance. They're a success all over again, but this time, it's Mike who won't be able to see the results.
The Song and Dance: I know Hugh Jackman is a great singer and a consummate theatrical showman, but who knew Kate Hudson had this in her? I had no idea she had such a way with a Patsy Cline ballad or an upbeat Neil Diamond hit. She's especially good mid-way through, when Claire is having a hard time dealing with the car accident. No wonder Hudson got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. The kids are great too as the ones who often get stuck with the "adult" roles, especially Princess and Anderson as the teens who bond over their crazy parents. This isn't Brewer's first time in musical territory. He also did the remake of Footloose, and it shows in the amazing energy you get from even the simplest routines. Love the spangled costumes, including Jackman dressing as Diamond, and the location shooting in Northern New Jersey that gives the movie a slightly gritty working-class feel.
The Numbers: Mike performs the title song three times, always for the AA group to celebrate his sobriety. (Dayna films the latter two performances, as Mike and Claire are busy with gigs.) Michael Imperioli, as Buddy Holly impersonator Mark Shurilla, sings "Oh Boy!" with his own band at the amusement park. Claire's "Walkin' After Midnight" is such a good Patsy Cline imitation, Mike is impressed. Their first number together at Claire's ramshackle apartment is "Play Me." They do so well together and have so much chemistry, they agree to form a band right there. Mark does "Everyday" at his last gig, claiming it's time to retire his Buddy Holly persona. Their version of "Cherry Cherry" with the band and Mark in Mike's garage is so delightful, even the grouchy old lady across the street ends up dancing along.
The African-inspired "Soolimon" is heard twice. It's the opening number that causes so much trouble at their first gig at a biker bar...and a far better-received opening number at the big show in the finale. The bikers do finally get "Sweet Caroline" before Mike ends up brawling with them. "Crunchy Granola Suite" gives us our first success montage as we see Lightning and Thunder's gigs become bigger and more popular and Claire and Mike get married. "Holly Holy" is heard at the Pearl Jam concert, with Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith) joining in at one point.
"Sweet Dreams" is Claire's hallucination as she dreams of singing in a glittering, glamorous gown surrounded by haze and smoke...until Mike drags her back. Mike sings "Forever In Blue Jeans" with the owner of the Thai restaurant after the karaoke show. "I'm a Believer" covers their comeback at the Thai karaoke bar as Mike helps Claire with her therapy. "Soolimon" is joined by "Brother Love's Traveling Show" at their big sold-out concert. We end with Claire performing the lesser-known Diamond ballad "I've Been This Way Before" with the band at Mike's funeral.
Trivia: This is not the first time Neil Diamond's songs were heard in a biographical musical. A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical debuted on Broadway in 2022, running two years. This is an actual biography of Diamond, using the framework of the older Diamond talking to a psychiatrist to give us songs and snippets from his long career.
Game show fans will want to look fast for cameos from the 1994 version of Family Feud with an older Richard Dawson during several scenes.
Unlike Mike, Claire is still alive and singing in the Milwaukee area at press time.
What I Don't Like: Oh boy, is this cheesy. It's sweet and sad, but it's also incredibly melodramatic. For one thing, although Sardinia did die of a head injury and heart trauma, it was in 2006, not 1996. He met Claire in 1987, not the mid-90's. And obviously, if you don't feel the same way about Diamond as Mike does and aren't a fan of Hudson or Jackman, there won't be much for you here. It also runs a tad on the long side. Honestly, some of that melodramatic middle sags and maybe could have been trimmed a bit.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Jackson, Hudson, or Neil Diamond's music, this is worth joining Brother Love's Traveling Show for.
Home Media: No Amazon listing for the movie yet, but the soundtrack will be on CD in March.
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