Given Karaoke's worldwide popularity over the last ten years it is more than a little surprising that it has taken Hollywood Executives so long to cash in on the phenomena. It is perhaps doubly disappointing then that after more than five years in pre-production all they have managed to come up with is this relatively mediocre road-trip movie which exalts Karaoke's power to change people's lives for the better. Directed by Gwyneth Paltrow's father Duets tells the story of six desperately unhappy individuals who decide to cast off the shackles of their pre-determined lives and look for something better. The metaphor for all this we are assured is Karaoke: the courage to stand up, sing up and be heard.
Taking a big leaf out of the Robert Altman book of filmmaking Bruce Paltrow has chosen to split Duets into three separate storylines: There's the story of Liz (Gwyneth Paltrow) an unbelievably naive Vegas showgirl who has to learn to build a relationship with her long-lost hustler father Ricky (Huey Lewis) after meeting him for the first time at her mother's funeral. Then there's the tale of Suzi (Maria Bello), a streetwise hussy who will do anything to make it big and Billy (Scott Speedman) a down-on-his-luck taxi driver she convinces to drive her halfway across the country in search of stardom at any cost. And last, but by no means least, there's the hilarious story of Todd (Paul Giamatti) a burned out travelling salesman on the edge of a nervous breakdown and his unlikely friendship with Reggie (Andre Braugher) an escaped convict with the voice of an angel and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. Inevitably all involved wind up crossing paths in Omaha, where a big Karaoke Contest is offering a Grand Prize. The question is who will win and unlike many films of this elk one is never really sure.
All six principle actors turn in better than average performances and all except Braugher, who couldn't reach some of the higher notes, sing unaided. The chemistry between Paltrow and 80s pop star Lewis works well with Paltrow more than holding her own on the musical front. Relative newcomers Bello and Speedman also do well, both showing signs that suggest we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. But the film's spotlight is taken by the fantastic pairing of Giamatti and Braugher. At first their characters appear to be too at odds to ever really hit it off, but as the movie progresses it soon becomes clear that they share a deep affinity, they both know what it is like to have lived in a cage, Braugher in prison and Giamatti in middle-class suburbia. Places neither of them ever want to return.
Considering this is Bruce Paltrow's first major film Duets has turned out surprisingly well. The direction is relatively unobtrusive and the stories that unfold are often amusing, sometimes compelling and always entertaining. Indeed, the one scene in which Giamatti and Braugher offer their rendition of Ottis Reading's Try a Little Tenderness is truly spell bounding and well worth the price of admission alone.
However, Paltrow's clear favouritism for certain characters over others and the fact that the performances of Giamatti and Braugher are light years ahead of the rest means that the film often seems unbalanced and a little disjointed, kind of like a duet between Jane MacDonald and Madonna. And like so much American cinema today Duets suffers badly from an overly sentimental ending. One leaves Duets feeling more than a little betrayed and thankful that this kind of world exists far outside the realms of possibility, at least in England.
Taking a big leaf out of the Robert Altman book of filmmaking Bruce Paltrow has chosen to split Duets into three separate storylines: There's the story of Liz (Gwyneth Paltrow) an unbelievably naive Vegas showgirl who has to learn to build a relationship with her long-lost hustler father Ricky (Huey Lewis) after meeting him for the first time at her mother's funeral. Then there's the tale of Suzi (Maria Bello), a streetwise hussy who will do anything to make it big and Billy (Scott Speedman) a down-on-his-luck taxi driver she convinces to drive her halfway across the country in search of stardom at any cost. And last, but by no means least, there's the hilarious story of Todd (Paul Giamatti) a burned out travelling salesman on the edge of a nervous breakdown and his unlikely friendship with Reggie (Andre Braugher) an escaped convict with the voice of an angel and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. Inevitably all involved wind up crossing paths in Omaha, where a big Karaoke Contest is offering a Grand Prize. The question is who will win and unlike many films of this elk one is never really sure.
All six principle actors turn in better than average performances and all except Braugher, who couldn't reach some of the higher notes, sing unaided. The chemistry between Paltrow and 80s pop star Lewis works well with Paltrow more than holding her own on the musical front. Relative newcomers Bello and Speedman also do well, both showing signs that suggest we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. But the film's spotlight is taken by the fantastic pairing of Giamatti and Braugher. At first their characters appear to be too at odds to ever really hit it off, but as the movie progresses it soon becomes clear that they share a deep affinity, they both know what it is like to have lived in a cage, Braugher in prison and Giamatti in middle-class suburbia. Places neither of them ever want to return.
Considering this is Bruce Paltrow's first major film Duets has turned out surprisingly well. The direction is relatively unobtrusive and the stories that unfold are often amusing, sometimes compelling and always entertaining. Indeed, the one scene in which Giamatti and Braugher offer their rendition of Ottis Reading's Try a Little Tenderness is truly spell bounding and well worth the price of admission alone.
However, Paltrow's clear favouritism for certain characters over others and the fact that the performances of Giamatti and Braugher are light years ahead of the rest means that the film often seems unbalanced and a little disjointed, kind of like a duet between Jane MacDonald and Madonna. And like so much American cinema today Duets suffers badly from an overly sentimental ending. One leaves Duets feeling more than a little betrayed and thankful that this kind of world exists far outside the realms of possibility, at least in England.