Film Review: SONG SUNG BLUE (2025): An Enjoyable Film From Craig Brewer About the Healing Power of Music and Family
Song Sung Blue Review
Song Sung Blue (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Craig Brewer, written by Greg Kohs and Craig Brewer and starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, Hudson Hensley, King Princess, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi, Mustafa Shakir, John Beckwith, Jayson Warner Smith, Sean Allan Krill, Jim Conroy, Darius Rose, Shyaporn Theerakulstit and Chacha Tahng.
Director Craig Brewer brings Kate Hudson back up to the level she is capable of performing at in the winning new drama, Song Sung Blue, where Hudson plays opposite Hugh Jackman. Watching two stars of this magnitude is a completely pleasurable experience thanks to the work that Jackman and Hudson display on-screen in their roles as Mike and Claire in the new picture. What starts out as a music-driven film about two characters falling in love becomes a story about the fight for courage and determination when things don’t work out as expected for our main characters. Brewer’s film is brave and keeps the viewer hopeful as the movie plays out in an ultimately uplifting manner despite some heart-wrenching tragedies that happen over the course of the picture.
Jackman’s Mike is a former alcoholic who goes to a support group in order to cope with his past. However, he finds his biggest supporter in the single mom, Claire, played by Hudson who shares with him an appreciation of music. Neil Diamond is the artist whose work drives and inspires the pair. “Sweet Caroline” is a popular catchy tune that finds itself used in the movie at times, but the film works best as a character study about the bond that is formed between Mike and Claire and their kids.
Claire’s daughter, Rachel (Ella Anderson), is the most prominent of the several children of the couple featured in the movie. Rachel goes through a whirlwind of intense situations, including her own pregnancy, which tests her strength and her willpower. Rachel sees her mother go through turmoil as the plot progresses and, as a result, Rachel grows through hardships. The other two kids are: Dayna (Hudson Hensley) and Angelina (King Princess).
Centered in Milwaukee, Mike and Claire become “Lightning and Thunder,” and under these new stage names, they get to open a concert for Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder is played briefly on-screen by John Beckwith. Things take an ugly twist when an accident happens outside the family’s home which sends Claire into a deep depression. One of the best scenes in the picture is a close-up on Claire’s face while she speaks about her predicament. Hudson is raw and vulnerable in this sequence which brings the movie to life in vivid detail. Without giving away too much of what happens to her, she is affected physically and is admitted into a psychiatric facility by Mike in a powerful scene.
Mike does karaoke at a local Thai restaurant to make ends meet, but with the loss of Claire as his sidekick, things become increasingly difficult for the family to thrive financially. Can Claire rebound and work with Mike singing on-stage again? Will Mike overcome his own physical ailments and can the pair find the success that was promised in the early scenes of the picture before Claire’s accident occurred? There are no easy answers here, but there are moments that reflect on the goodness of the characters and the high points in life that make it enjoyable to behold.
Hugh Jackman has mostly been a formidable screen presence throughout the years and, opposite Hudson, Jackman shines as these two thespians play off each other beautifully, creating a romance based on mutual admiration for one another that often goes sour when tragedy strikes. Yet, the film gives us hope that love can triumph over the ugliness that happens in life and the direction the movie takes is always a hopeful one. Hudson has never been more vulnerable on-screen.
In support, Anderson’s Rachel is well-drawn. As the daughter struggling to find happiness in her own life who must be able to recognize her mother’s dilemma and the need for her to recover as quickly as possible, Anderson never hits a false note in a performance that is one of the strongest assets of this dramatic film. Rachel carries a job of her own and Mike helps her with her car when it stalls in another solid scene within the picture. Michael Imperioli and Jim Belushi as Mark and Tom, Mike’s business partners, also shine in smaller roles. Mustafa Shakir ably serves as Sex Machine and it’s great to see Fisher Stevens working again as Dr. Dave Watson.
Jackman and Hudson are the primary reasons to see Song Sung Blue. These are performers whose work can be hit-or-miss given the particular projects they find themselves attached to. Their roles here suit them to a tee and Hudson, in particular, shows a side of her we’ve never seen before. Hudson brings tremendous depth to the part while Jackman’s Mike is well-written as he tries to hold his family together during hard times.
Above all else, Song Sung Blue is essentially about the healing power of music and how families can be unified by their collective life experiences. Under Brewer’s stellar direction, this film speaks volumes about how perfection is impossible to obtain every single day, but the movie focuses on those perfect moments in life that should be cherished and, ultimately, make it worth living.
Rating: 8/10
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