Snoop Dogg decided Song Sung Blue is a Christmas movie — and that's a huge clue for Craig Brewer's next movie

A return to hip-hop? Get in

30 Dec 2025, 10:00 · TechRadar

Features By Jasmine Valentine published 30 December 2025

Hugh Jackman (Thunder) and Kate Hudson (Lightning) in Song Sung Blue. (Image credit: Focus Features) Share Share by:

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google

If you're not watching a movie this festive period that specifically has the word 'Christmas' in its title, you'll likely be debating with family members over whether it's a Christmas movie, or simply a movie with Christmas in it.

There's definitely a difference between the two. It's why Die Hard, Gremlins and Home Alone are could fall into either category, depending on your point of view – and this year we can add Song Sung Blue to the list.

The film tells the real-life story of Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute-band members Thunder (Hugh Jackman) and Lightning (Kate Hudson), and a sizable chunk of their extraordinary love story takes place during the festive period. So where does the movie sit in the Christmas canon?

Thankfully we have a definitive verdict, courtesy of no less a showbusiness luminary than rapper Snoop Dogg. Why Snoop? Well, he's the subject of Song Sung Blue director Craig Brewer's next movie.

"It was not my intent that this would be a Christmas film"

SONG SUNG BLUE - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters This Christmas - YouTube

Watch On

"It's so interesting you say that, because it's been the conversation that I've been having lately," Brewer tells me. "It was not my intent that this would be a Christmas film. When we had the first test, I was very nervous going into it, and it tested exceedingly well. It was one of those things where I think the Focus Features was taken aback by how well it was received.

"But I had a meeting the next morning with Snoop Dogg at Universal, and they had heard about the testing. I'm making a movie right now on Snoop's life. He later called me that day and he goes, 'Hey, I heard a I heard a rumor that you're going to be releasing your movie on Christmas.' And I was like, 'that's interesting. I wonder why Christmas.' And then I kept on hearing from people, 'that's really a great date because that's when all the families are coming together.'"

He continues, "The movie is about, a teenage girl who's having to take care of her crazy artistic parents. It's about a marriage. It's about a family that's struggling through the good times and the bad. It's about faith. It may not always be faith in God, but in this movie, it's actually, in a weird way, faith through Neil Diamond's music.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors