Song Sung Blue has risen as a heartfelt favorite of music lovers this awards season. The movie follows real-life musicians Mike and Claire Sardina, who decide to form a Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. Their lives and complicated family dynamic are portrayed on screen by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and the music biopic is receiving rave reviews from critics, who were charmed by it. Not everyone is enjoying the film, as the real-life son of Mike Sardina has been vocal about his issues with the movie, but Neil Diamond apparently has a different opinion.
Craig Brewer, who wrote and directed Song Sung Blue, recently opened up about Neil Diamond’s participation in the project as well as the singer allowing his music to be licensed for the film. While he didn’t directly sit next to Diamond when the legendary musician finally saw the movie, Brewer made sure, ahead of time, that he'd get the “Sweet Caroline” singer's reaction. He told Entertainment Weekly:
I was not in the room with him, but I had a few spies. I had also been prepped that Neil does not get effusively enthusiastic or into movies. He watches them, he studies them — that's what I was told.
It sounds like Diamond wasn’t going to be easily won over if he didn’t like the film. He originally didn’t allow the documentary the Song Sung Blue is based on to use his music, until he saw the film himself and eventually agreed to let the producers use it. So the singer did have some awareness of the Sardinas' story ahead of time. On that note, he was open to letting Brewer and co. use his music for the film, and he was even enthusiastic when he saw Song Sung Blue himself. As Brewer said to the publication:
But I was told from his people that they were surprised to see just how enthusiastic he started to get with it, that he was tapping his foot, that he would applaud after each music number, and that he cried. He went up to the projectionist, or the person was running the screening, and when they introduced themselves to him, he said, 'Okay, well, when's the next screening? Can we watch it again?'
Wow, this is a pretty high praise! The story is touching audiences everywhere, and seemingly has an even bigger impact on Neil Diamond. Of course, the inclusion of his music may have been a big reason why he likely felt so close to the film. What Brewer's movie ultimately shows is the impact Diamond's songs have had on the lives of his fans. It’s such a special film, and this kind of approval is incredibly meaningful. Brewer said of this reaction:
And so I was so happy about his reaction because I hope what it does for him — not that he looks for this or needs it — but I just hope he knows how incredibly relevant his contribution to songwriting is. Those songs are beautiful, and yeah, he's a performer, but he's a writer. He wrote these, he thought them, he felt them in his soul, and then he created them.
While Diamond may have gotten a lot out of this film emotionally, the aforementioned response from one of the Sardina kids remains. Mike Sardina’s son from his second marriage to Diane Annunziata, Mike Sardina Jr., claims the film is full of "lies." Sardina Jr. himself is not featured in the biopic, which he claims is one of the many ways the creative team got things wrong in the film. On the other hand, Craig Brewer claims that this anger is more so directed towards Sardina’s own lack of involvement with the film.
Clearly Song Sung Blue is pulling emotional reactions out of audiences, good or bad. When real-life stories are being adapted for the screen, it's typical that not everyone is happy with the result, especially if they are really close to the situation. However, the impact of Neil Diamond’s music seems to be shining through in the film, touching audiences with his beautiful music and timeless songwriting. It’s not easy making a great music movie but, at least from Diamond’s perspective, this one delivers.
You can see the musical biopic Song Sung Blue, which is playing in theaters nationwide now. It features a 2026 Golden Globe nominated performance by Kate Hudson, so make sure to check it out on the big screen while you can.
