Traumpaare: Duets

I often wonder why I watch so many movies, and why I love them so. It isn't because they often explore new territory or challenge my intellect, but then there's a whole public library and a Barnes and Noble in every strip mall for that. No, I think it must be the escapist delight of allowing myself to be absorbed for a couple of hours in a well-crafted imaginary world where unbelievable things happen to unrealistic people. It's a guilty pleasure, but hey, sometimes I eat my dessert first. I can handle the guilt.

With that said, as guilty pleasures go, this dessert is a banana split for two with extra nuts and cherries. And one spoon. Huey Lewis and the incomparable Gwyneth Paltrow are a father daughter team trying to get acquainted on the karaoke circuit. He's a karaoke hustler (who knew) and she's a third generation Las Vegas showgirl who is at once worldly and naive.

Paul Giamatti is a shocker. He's amazing as the frustrated salesman who's out "for a pack of cigarette." Along the way, he encounters Reggie Kane (Andre Braugher) a convict on the lam whose quiet desperation is a stark contrast to Giamatti's wanton abandon.

Maria Bello is hilarious as the resourceful bohemeian chasing a dream of big money. Angie Dickenson graces the scene with a tasty cameo. And then there's the singing. OK, Todd Rundgren isn't worried about Giamatti's rendition of the classic "Hello it's Me", and Andre used a voiceover, but Gwyneth can really sing, and her duet with Babyface in the closing credits is a chart-topper in anybody's book.

Directed by Gwyneth's dad Bruce, in his first feature since graduating from the small screen, the word "Duets" describes this enjoyable film in more ways than one. But in the end, the duet that matters is just you and this wonderful little film.

Bruce Paltrow's film "Duets" basically centers on the relationships of vastly different people who all end up at a karaoke contest in Omaha. Liv (Paltrow) meets her dad Ricky (Lewis) for the first time at her mother's funeral. Ricky is a "karaoke hustler", a guy who walks into various competitions and not only wins the cash prize, but manages to get a sucker to bet on which of them is going to win. Ricky reluctantly lets Liv tag along with him on the circuit, and along with singing herself, she also tries to forge a relationship with her father. Todd (Giamatti) is a salesman who travels most of the year and comes home to a house where his children don't talk to him and his wife would rather spend time online than talk to him after one of his business trips. One day he has a "moment of clarity" and decides to use some of the 800,000 frequent flier miles he has racked up, taking off in his car and driving anywhere but near his home. The first night he gets a room, he walks into a hotel bar and is convinced to get up on stage for their karaoke night, where he finds he loves the freedom it allows and the attention it garners him. Along the way on his trek, he picks up a hitchhiker named Reggie (Braugher) a recent parolee with the voice of an angel, and the two strike up a very close friendship despite (or possibly because of) their many differences. Finally, there is Suzi (Bello), a drifter who travels her way to karaoke contests by eschewing all dignity and selling any part of her she can. At a stopover in Cincinnati, she encounters Billy (Speedman) a former seminary student who is now a gypsy cab driver that just discovered his girlfriend sleeping with his business partner. Bello convinces him to take her to California, but along the way, the lure of the $5,000 purse in Omaha gets the best of her and they make a stop there.

"Duets" features several story lines, but other than karaoke, they all have one thing in common: They are all unhappy with either their past, their present or the prospect of a bleak or uncertain future. The film really isn't all that good, but there are a couple of good things about it. First and foremost, the chemistry between Giamatti and Braugher is fantastic. Completely casting aside the fact that they are two of my favorite actors, their connection was practically tangible. Hey, who knew Giamatti could sing, too? The rest of the stories were pretty clichéd or just not very compelling at all. I wasn't sure where they were trying to go with the Suzi/Billy arc but it ended up going nowhere for me personally. Huey Lewis, nothing more than a marginally average actor does an okay job in this film, but it obviously isn't much of a stretch for him.

If you are not a fan of any of the actors, "Duets" is entertaining enough to sit through and not end up hating yourself afterward. Personally, the film deserves a slight edge because of the Giamatti/Braugher thing, but altogether, it gets a 6/10. In this case I'm rounding up from 5.5 for that edge.

--Shelly

I discovered this movie a couple of years ago and was charmed by its fragile characters and beautiful soundtrack that seems to create character depth that the script doesn't. Huey Lewis (Ricky Dean) was, surprisingly, very strong in his role as a reluctant father to Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Liv. While I found some of the acting to be wooden, and the direction was often predictable, there is something that appealed to me - I feel that the characters spoke through the music rather than the narrative, thus lifting the movie to a higher level. A mention also has to go to Braugher and Giamatti who are a delightful combination right up to the heartbreaking climax.

This film brings some great things to it, actually 3 things- Paul Giamatti's performance, Huey Lewis's performance and every good singing person who (besides Lewis) surprised me with they're talents. Overall, the karaoke scenes overshadow the dramatic trio of tales (except for the free bird story with Giamatti and Andre Braugher) which is unfair because the talent on stage is somewhat better than the acting (Maria Bello is pretty damn sexy though). Overall, it's fair, more of a chick flick to say. B

I admit it -- I'm a total sucker for this movie for all of the right reasons, and some of the wrong ones (like, it's very touching to me that Bruce Paltrow made this movie with his daughter Gwyneth and died a year or so later). Having Huey Lewis in the movie and singing a few of his monster hits is a plus all by itself, and it turns out he can actually act decently. The Paul Giamatti - Andre Braugher duo, both in terms of plot, their excellent acting, and their blow-you-away singing performance, is something I never tire of seeing, and I've watched this movie five times and have it on disk. The plot is superficially pedestrian but actually very engaging and psychologically legitimate despite the displays of craziness by the characters. People do get crazy and do that kind of stuff. As for Gwyneth Paltrow, there seems to be no role she can't get into and occupy with beautiful effect.

This was never intended to be a Great Movie. It was a nice little story, made into a very fine, charming, stick-to-your memory movie with talent oozing out the corners. People who rate it mediocre are just not seeing the pearl for the oyster.