There are some fads in popular culture that, while they may be fun in practice, should never be put onto the big screen. You can add karaoke to that list. In "Duets,'' six lost souls come together to find solace in the microphone, and boy is it off-key.
Duets - R
Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow, Huey Lewis, Scott Speedman, Andre Braugher
Directed by:
Bruce Paltrow
Now playing:
Showplace East 11
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Ricky Dean (Huey Lewis) is a hustler who plays innocent hicks by outsinging them at karaoke contests for money. When he meets his long lost daughter Liv (Gwyneth Paltrow), he doesn't know quite how to fit her into his world. Liv, meanwhile, is searching for the relationship she never had with her father.
Suzi (Maria Bello) is trading sex for survival on the road, only to step onstage and strut her femininity and "strong" voice. Todd has run away from his wife and family, bored with his middle class life. After picking up ex-con, gun-toting Reggie (Andre Braugher), Todd learns the true meaning of freedom and friendship. All of these stories come together at a $5,000 karaoke competition in Omaha.
The most redeeming part of the movie is the relationship between Reggie and Todd. Paul Giammati is hilarious as Todd. Trying to escape the mundaneness of his life, he is fascinated with Reggie and his gun (which Todd likes to steal and pull on people, often with hilarious results).
Braugher is exceptional as a man on the run, trying to teach Todd something about the value of life. They play off each other with amazing chemistry, even in their contrasting dress and speech styles.
If you are walking into this movie expecting to see the love story between Paltrow's character and "Felicity" star Scott Speedman, forget it. The two have maybe five minutes together at the end of the movie. Paltrow is wasted here as the sweet Liv and Speedman's good old boy image does nothing for the movie.
With many bumps along the road, some great songs -- Smoky Robinson's "Crusin','' Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes'' and Pat Benetar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot'' among them -- "Duets'' just can't give the silly phenomenon of karaoke its due. If you really have the urge to see karaoke, go see it live.
