# Duets (2000)

### reviewed by
JONATHAN RICHARDS

    AN ERROR IN JUDGMENT

    DUETS

    Directed by Bruce Paltrow

    Screenplay by John Byrum

    With Gwynneth Paltrow, Huey Lewis

    De Vargas  R    113 min.

"Duets" isn't a very good movie, but it has moments so good that you almost forgive it. It takes place in the world of karaoke, that fading phenomenon that gives people a chance to be a star for three minutes (one-fifth of the Warhol lifetime allowance.)

The good moments are not much to be seen early. It's all dim lighting, bad blocking, and missed moments. A karaoke hustler (Huey Lewis) plays the rube, lays some side bets, and then blows away the competition. It's no news that Huey Lewis can handle a song, but the scene doesn't rise to the occasion. Other characters are introduced - his estranged chorus girl daughter (Gwynneth Paltrow, director Bruce Paltrow's daughter), a salesman weary of his job and his life (Paul Giamatti), an ex-con guilty of "an error in judgment" (Andre Braugher), a cab driver and a karaoke singer (Scott Speedman, Maria Bello). The most intriguing insight the movie offers is that fellatio is more dependable currency than frequent flyer miles.

But there are music scenes that really take off, particularly those involving Giamatti and Braugher, who also provide the most interesting duet of the proceedings, thanks more to their playing than to the hackneyed script. Their "Try a Little Tenderness" got people whooping in the movie theater (although Braugher's singing is dubbed.) Gwynneth Paltrow does well as a sweet dim bulb, and shows off a beautiful voice.

It's TV veteran Paltrow's first theatrical feature since '82 ("A Little Sex"), and you won't leave the theater wondering why.

The review above was posted to the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due to ASCII to HTML conversion.

Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews