At first, it's a heart-warming story about music and love – then "Song Sung Blue" turns into a drama. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson shine as amateur musicians in good times and bad. And teach us three things about life. Berlin (dpa) – Many artists hope music will make them rich and famous. The film "Song Sung Blue" is a tribute to those who do not manage to do so. Inspired by true stories, actors Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson sing and play a musician couple who won local fame in the late 80s and 90s in the US, as a cover band playing Neil Diamond songs. But that was not enough for a big breakthrough. In this film, director Craig Brewer shines a light on the daily lives and struggles of amateur musicians, which are often overlooked. "I live in Memphis, Tennessee, and music is very much a part of our culture in Memphis. I have many friends that playing in rock clubs every night, and they're amazing up on stage," Brewer told dpa. "And then the next morning, they're serving me coffee at the local diner." Musicians needing side gigs This brings us to the first of three life tips provided by "Song Sung Blue." For Mike and Claire Sardina, the real-life models for the film's plot, the chance of a music career seems long gone. He is a Vietnam veteran, a recovering alcoholic and works as a mechanic. She works as a hairdresser, struggling as a single mother, singing at best on small stages. But there is a spark between the two of them, both in terms of music and personally. Their shared passion for music and defiant optimism give rise to the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. Hudson sees this neither as naivety nor financial recklessness, but as the true path to happiness. "If it makes you fulfilled, even if you have to supplement by working in other ways, if you have to make music, you are following your dream," she says. That is pretty fitting for an actress who became famous with "Almost Famous." Hudson says she does not measure success by world fame or chart hits. "I think that more people need to [understand] it's okay to be a musician that didn't achieve Mick Jagger success," says Hudson, who now also performs as a singer. "It means that you're living your life the way you want to live your life." Who knows where it will take you Putting passion before money was also important to Hudson's film partner Hugh Jackman, who looks back to his time at drama school. "I just loved that. I thought, if I never work a day in my life, these have been the best three years of my life," he told dpa. So if you have a passion but no guarantee of success, this life tip is for you: In Jackman's words, "Just do it. That's what I always say, and you never know where it'll go." Who knows – that could even be Broadway, where Jackman now regularly dances and sings in shows alongside his acting career, where he is known from "Deadpool & Wolverine," or "The Greatest Showman". 'Is my life over?’ We find a second life tip from "Song Sung Blue" concerning the courage to make a new start later on in life. Mike and Claire only find each other and their calling as Neil Diamond tribute musicians once they are middle aged. This is a recurring theme for director Brewer. "It's been something that I've been exploring, I would say, over a couple of movies. I know that 'Hustle and Flow' is one of them. The Eddie Murphy movie, 'Dolomite is my Name'. It seems I'm really interested in people that are in their 40s and 50s and sometimes 60s saying 'Is my life over?' 'Does that mean that I can't fall in love again?'" Brewer, 54, says there is exactly one right time for a new start. "The time for that to happen is when you feel it most passionately … you have to, to some extent, allow yourself to move forward." He has no time for doubts or external circumstances as excuses. "I think the only people that really are keeping us back is ourselves" For better or for worse – rash promise? The third and final life tip unfolds its power in the darkest moments of "Song Sung Blue." Suddenly, struggles descend upon Mike and Claire, at which point, they have long been married. Like countless other married couples, they promised to be there for each other in good times and bad – without realising how hard the test of time could prove to be. The film is not exaggerating – this part of the story actually happened. "This couple go through probably more ups and downs than most, but everybody does. The movie is very much about how these two rescue each other, show up for each other, are there for each other through the really, really hard times," says Jackman. The fact that Hudson, unlike Jackman, received a Golden Globe nomination for her role is probably due primarily to this dark period. In the first part, Jackman and Hudson carry the story through their charisma and their captivating chemistry on stage. Jackman throws himself into his role wholeheartedly and without shame – including singing at home in his underwear. But the way Hudson leads the previously radiant Claire into the abyss is moving. ‘This kind of love’ "This is one of the things I love about this movie that I think people will really find refreshing," Hudson says. At a time when relationships often end quickly, "Song Sung Blue" tells a story of a deeper kind of romance. "I think in this day and age, it's really easy to leave somebody," says Hudson. "The strength to power through something with someone, that type of love is what we're all looking for." That brings us to our third life tip furnished by Jackman. "It's really about family, and they believe in each other, too," he says. That makes "Song Sung Blue" a feel-good film all the way to the end, even if there are moments of pain, too, along the way. "Song Sung Blue" is getting an international cinematic release between December and February. The following information is not intended for publication dpa rt zlp gth xxde arw coh
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