Rated R
Directed by Bruce Paltrow and Jack Gill
Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Maria Bello, Scott Speedman, Andre Braugher, Paul Giamatti, Huey Lewis
Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 2 (Watch it on TV)
Word of Warning: Swearing, sexual situations and karaoke.
This movie peaked my interest for several reasons. I have a friend who is an avid karaoke singer on the circuit in Denver and I have been known to step up to the karaoke mic.
The plot follows three different stories. Paul Giamatti plays Todd Woods, a straightlaced salesman who is experiencing a sort of mental breakdown. This character embarks on a cross country trip in order to find motels that will accept his frequent flier miles (800,000) and bars where he can sing karaoke. He hooks up with a hitchhiking ex-con Reggie Kane, who surprise, surprise, is an excellent singer.
Liv (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a Vegas show girl who is reunited with her estranged father (Huey Lewis) when he arrives at her mother’s funeral. Her father is a karaoke hustler who has no place in his life for a daughter or any other personal relationship. However, Liv is eager to develop a relationship with her father and is relentless in her pursuit of this goal.
Suzi Loomis (Maria Bello) is another karaoke hustler who has no problem performing sexual favors in exchange for hotel rooms, car rides or anything else she deems worthy. Billy (Scott Speedman) is a cab driver who has just discovered his girlfriend in bed with his best friend. The two meet up in a bar and Suzi convinces Billy to drive her to California where she intends to compete in a big karaoke contest.
Paul Giamatti is the highlight of “Duets,” but despite her beautiful singing voice, I can’t believe Gwyneth Paltrow got another role after this movie. Her depiction of Liv was not only annoying, but had all the attributes of a B movie actress.
I saw glimpses of gold in this movie, but it never pans out. The three separate stories eventually come together at a $5,000 Karaoke competition in Omaha, Nebraska, but the climax of the movie is a let down. “Duets” isn’t a total waste of time if you catch it on television, but it’s not worth a spot in your Netflix queue.
Actually, Gwyneth Paltrow’s rea-life dad produced this movie, which is why she’s in it!
I was going to mention that in my review, but I forgot!!! Always nice to have a dad in the biz – it worked for Tory Spelling.
Paltrow is not that bad of an actress, but she’s awful in this movie! My favorite Paltrow movie is “Emma.”