Craig Brewer is a filmmaker who seems particularly adept at making films of dreamers, people who have been kicked around by life, but reach for greatness by any means necessary. The Hustle & Flow and Dolemite is My Name director now adapts Song Sung Blue – from the 2008 documentary of the same name – into an often treacly but well acted character study. Brewer never shies away from the implicit darkness at the center of the story, but in trying to tell this story in a realistic, compelling way, the film too often feels unfocused to stand on its own.

Song Sung Blue follows a pair of talented, middle-aged performers who know their glory days are long past, but still love the act of performing nonetheless. Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) is a recovering alcoholic, divorced father, and part-time fix-it man, who spends his nights and weekends performing at the Wisconsin state fair and various small venues as part of a troupe of impersonators playing to the blue-haired crowd in 1995. It’s at the fair where he meets Claire (Kate Hudson), a hair dresser and single mom of two who gets by on her Patsy Cline impersonation. Mike convinces her to team up together, and they decide to form Thunder and Lightning, a Neil Diamond “experience.”

Thunder and Lightning’s popularity among the greater Milwaukee area takes off, and Mike and Claire become romantically involved, and before we know it, the crew has been asked to open for Pearl Jam, and Mike and Claire get married. Brewer – who also writes the screenplay – packs all of this disparate information, plus a C-plot revolving around Rachel (Ella Anderson), Claire’s rebellious teenage daughter, within the first half of the film. Had Song Sung Blue ended here, it would be an effective, if slight, look at never being too old to pursue one’s passions.

But the film reaches its midpoint at a traumatic moment when Claire is unexpectedly hit by a car and has part of her leg amputated. Hudson and Jackman give thoughtful performances throughout, but it’s in the latter half of Song Sung Blue when they are given full rein to go big. Despondent – and possibly hooked on painkillers, it’s not entirely clear – from the accident and being unable to perform, Claire’s emotional and mental health leaves her a shell of her formerly bubbly self. Meanwhile, Mike is left shouldering the financial weight of their already tense situation and carries on performing at a local karaoke bar. And yet, it’s Ella Anderson who almost walks away with the film, as a teenager caught between wanting her own independence and needing to grow up too quickly. Her role fades into the background as the film goes on, but she’s undoubtedly a talented young actor worth looking out for going forward.

Like The Smashing Machine earlier this year – another adaptation of a documentary – Song Sung Blue gets the harmony right, even if the lyrics don’t always make sense. Brewer would have been better served by either focusing solely on Mike or Claire’s journey, but by splitting the film between them, it robs us of getting to know each of them more deeply. None of the characters feel like staid archetypes; they’re more like disparate jumbles of real, complicated people. If anything, the film serves as an interesting exploration at what compels people to form tribute acts, rather than performing their own original works. It’s in the love of seeing people light up when their favorite tunes are sung live, which Mike and Claire fully inhabit whenever “Sweet Caroline” comes up.

Christmas is the time of year when studios often put out more easily digestible offerings in the hopes that families will venture to the theaters during their time together. Indeed, Song Sung Blue does go down smoothly, with its relatable characters and engaging – if a little too long – musical sequences. But it’s hard not to leave the theater feeling as if you watched a tribute band itself: a well-meaning performance of something which tried to carve its own identity but ultimately playing it safe.

Focus Features will release Song Sung Blue in theatres nationwide on December 25.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• Some Oscar pundits believe that Kate Hudson could threaten to win Best Actress, but the film has few prospects outside of her, and nominations – let alone wins – are rare for a one-nomination film. Hudson’s Golden Globes nomination helps but I’ll need to see more precursor support to fully buy in to her chances.