Mom ‘Worked Very Hard’ to Get Pregnant with Baby No. 2. Now, Her Husband Tells Her He ‘Doesn’t Feel Supported’

While Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman’s new musical drama has drawn praise from critics, the son of the real-life performer at the center of the story says the film misrepresents his father and undermines his legacy.

Song Sung Blue chronicles the relationship between Claire “Thunder” and the late Mike “Lightning” Sardina, a married couple who performed together in a Neil Diamond tribute act known as “Lightning & Thunder.” Their lives were first documented in a 2008 film of the same name, and their story was later adapted into the December 2025 feature directed by Craig Brewer.

In a recent interview with Daily Mail, Mike’s son, 41-year-old Michael Sardina Jr., said his father would have been deeply upset by the way the story was portrayed on screen.

“Everyone thinks it’s such a wonderful, touching film,” he said. “But it’s all lies. It takes away from all the hard work my father put in throughout his life.”

Michael Jr. and his sister, Angelina Sardina, became step-siblings to Claire’s children, Rachel and Dayna, after Claire and Mike married in 1994. Mike died in 2006, two years before the documentary chronicled the couple’s 17-year performing career and 12-year marriage.

Claire has publicly embraced the film and attended several premieres, including a Dec. 2 screening in Milwaukee with her daughter Rachel, where she joined Hugh Jackman and director Craig Brewer for the introduction. The following day, she performed “Sweet Caroline” alongside Jackman at a Milwaukee bowling alley. She also appeared at the New York premiere on Dec. 11 with Hudson, Rachel, and her son Dayna.

Michael Jr. said he and his sister were paid as consultants on the project, but he claims he was ultimately excluded from the film’s narrative. According to Daily Mail, text messages between Angelina and producer John Fox appear to confirm the consulting arrangement. The outlet also reported that Angelina’s contract included permission for her character, played by King Princess, to be fictionalized.

Michael Jr. does not appear as a character in the film, and he did not participate in the original 2008 documentary. Both he and Angelina said they were invited to, and attended, the New York premiere.

“They don’t even acknowledge that I exist,” Michael Jr. alleged, referring to interviews promoting the movie. “I was the most consistent presence in my father’s life. They never tried to reach out, never tried to get more information. They easily could have.”

Both siblings said their biggest concern is what they describe as the film’s failure to portray the conflicts they say existed behind the scenes.

“The only thing that was true was the love between my dad and Claire,” Angelina told Daily Mail. “It’s a beautiful story, but that’s not how things really happened. That’s what hurts — it feels like a lie.”

Michael Jr. echoed that sentiment, accusing the filmmakers of damaging what his father hoped to leave behind. “They destroyed the one thing my father worked his entire life to pass on — his legacy,” he said. “I want the real story told, with truth and dignity. And I want accountability.”

Representatives for Jackman, Hudson, and Brewer did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the film’s distributors.