February 5, 2026
Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) was an auto-mechanic who also accepted gigs as a singer-performer under his stage name Lightning. One night in 1987, he walked out on the Legends show at the Wisconsin State Fair because he wanted to perform as Lightning, and not Don Ho as originally planned. There, he met and was smitten with pretty hairdresser Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson), who did a mean impersonation of Patsy Cline.
Because of financial difficulties, Mike took up singing the songs of Neil Diamond upon Claire's suggestion since nostalgia sells. On their first date, they work up a partnership with Mike singing, and Claire on keyboards and back up vocals. Mike proposed calling their act "Lightning and Thunder -- The Neil Diamond Experience." Claire sealed that name with a kiss, and they soon got married. Terrible events would soon disrupt their fairy tale.
Writer-director Craig Brewer adapted a 2008 documentary film of the same title by Greg Kohs telling the story of Mike and Claire Sardina, and their Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. The biopic followed typical musical band story points of how they met and how they formed their band. However ideal their partnership, this couple went through very tough times. Hard to believe that these things really happened, not mere fictional melodrama.
Of course, the stars of the film were all the Neil Diamond songs that peppered the soundtrack. These were all performed by the lead stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, both known to be powerhouse singers aside from acclaimed movie stars. You bet "Sweet Caroline" was in there. But as Mike always emphasized, Neil Diamond was more than just that song, and this film made sure we heard his best -- from "Play Me" to "Holly Holy" to "Soolaimon."
My personal favorite song number was "Forever in Blue Jeans" -- the song Mike chose to sing when they opened for the Pearl Jam concert. It reached a peak when Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith) himself joined in at the rousing chorus to the big surprise of the youthful audience. Aside from their duets, Jackman had an introspective solo with "I Am... I Said," while Hudson had her own heartfelt moment singing "I've Been This Way Before."
Mike and Claire were both divorced with kids (King Princess as Mike's daughter Angelina, Ella Anderson and Hudson Hensley as Claire's kids Rachel and Dana), so there were also issues tackled about that blended family life. Veteran character actors played their bandmates: Jim Belushi as their manager Tom, Fisher Stevens as Mike's manager and dentist Dave, and Michael Imperioli as Mark, their guitarist who used to be a Buddy Holly impersonator.
Mike was only 35 and Claire 25 in 1987, so Jackman (57) and Hudson (47) were both much older playing them. That aside, these two actors really committed to portraying the couple through their extremely good and terribly bad times. Kate Hudson had earned Best Actress nominations at the Oscars, SAG, BAFTA and Golden Globes. Admittedly the roller-coaster of melodramatic scenes can get cringe-y at times, but good thing the song numbers would come in at the right time and save the film from sinking in emotional quagmire. 7/10
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