Music lovers have been completely charmed by Song Sung Blue, the new music biopic starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder, and critics agree it’s both uplifting and heartwrenching. Meanwhile, some closer to the story have a different opinion about how the film portrays the life of Mike Sardina, with his son saying “it’s all lies.”
Michael Sardina Jr. told the Daily Mail that his father is “rolling in his grave right now” after director Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue failed to depict their true family dynamic, with Sardina Jr. saying he was “purposely cut out of the film.” According to the late musician’s son:
Everybody thinks it's such a wonderful film, it's so touching. It's all lies. And it steals all the hard work that my father put in his entire life…
Mike Sardina’s son from his second marriage to Diane Annunziata was not a character in Song Sung Blue, though he did get $30,000 as a "consultant" for the movie. Mike Jr.’s sister Angelina, meanwhile, was portrayed, as were their stepmom Claire’s children from a previous marriage. Mike Jr. called Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson “monsters” for not mentioning him during the promotional tour, saying:
Every interview that those monsters have been on national television don't even mention my existence at all, even though I was the most prevalent force in my father's life, even when I wasn't in Wisconsin, because I'm his only son. They didn't even try to contact me . . . They didn't try to get more information... They could have very easily asked Craig [Brewer].
The director reportedly acknowledged Mike Sardina Jr.’s frustration in text messages to Angelina in October after she and her brother saw the film. Craig Brewer allegedly wrote there was “so much that I didn't get that was accurate” and that he thought Mike Jr.’s issues were due to the fact that “he didn’t directly help the movie.”
Mike Sardina’s son said he’s apparently considering legal action against the production company, Davis Entertainment, as well as distributors Focus Features and NBCUniversal, telling the tabloid:
[They] completely destroyed the one thing my father worked his entire life to pass on - his legacy. I want the true story out there and I want it used with truth, with dignity, and I want retribution.
Mike Sardina Jr. says Song Sung Blue left out much about his dad's recovery journey, as well as details of their “extremely violent” household, including drug use and sibling rivalry between him and his stepbrother. His sister supports the claims, admitting that while the movie does get the love between her father and Claire right, it’s not an accurate portrayal of their lives. She said:
I mean, yes, it's a great story. It's a beautiful story, but that's not how it went down. And I guess that's what's upsetting because it's a lie.
Meanwhile, their stepmother Claire Sardina, aka “Thunder,” has given her full support to Song Sung Blue, appearing alongside Kate Hudson and the other cast members at various premieres of the movie and even singing “Sweet Caroline” with Hugh Jackman at an event in Milwaukee. Hudson has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Thunder, with Jackman celebrating the achievement despite not being recognized himself.
Song Sung Blue is in theaters now.
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