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The always-winning Gwyneth Paltrow lends star power to Duets, a delightful, airy ensemble piece built on the premise that ordinary people often distinguish themselves in extraordinary situations. In this case, it's a national championship for karaoke singers from all across the country. Paltrow plays the daughter of over-the-hill rocker Huey Lewis, who enters the competition solely for the $5,000 prize. Harried, limelight-craving salesman Paul Giamatti teams up with a new friend, ex-con Andre Braugher; and tough-minded, footloose Maria Bello partners with soulful cabbie Scott Speedman. Director Bruce Paltrow (Gwyneth's dad and veteran director of television programs) bounces from one pair of characters to another, lingering with each twosome just long enough to establish plot points and flesh out characterizations. His staging of the climactic karaoke contest, while not exactly up to Busby Berkeley standards, makes good use of talented performers not known for their musical abilities: Paltrow holds her own in a duet with Lewis; Giamatti and Braugher belt out "Try a Little Tenderness" with surprising soulfulness; and brassy Bello rocks the house with "Sweet Dreams." These dynamic sequences, combined with the uniformly fine performances, make Duets an extremely enjoyable, albeit minor, comedy-drama. Paltrow père and producer Kevin Jones offer running commentary on the DVD, which also sports deleted scenes and a music video ("Cruisin'"). Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Director Bruce Paltrow teams with his Oscar-winning daughter Gwyneth Paltrow for this road comedy with music. Paltrow plays Liv, a struggling professional singer whose meets her father, Ricky Dean (Huey Lewis), for the first time at the funeral of her mother. As it turns out, both Liv and Ricky supplement the income from few-and-far-between gigs by singing in karaoke contests, and soon father and daughter are competing on the same circuit. Meanwhile, Todd Woods (Paul Giamatti), a salesman who has grown disenchanted with his job, his family, and his life, picks up a hitch-hiker named Reggie Kane (Andre Braugher), and during a stop at a tavern, they discover they make a good duet team while belting out a version of "Try A Little Tenderness." And waitress Suzi Loomis (Maria Bello) sweet talks Billy (Scott Speedman), a cabbie, into driving her to Omaha, where the national karaoke finals will determine who does the best job of singing along with the records, as the lives of these six characters begin to intersect. Duets also features Angie Dickinson as Blair, Liv's grandmother who was once a showgirl in Frank Sinatra's Las Vegas floorshow; Brad Pitt was originally cast in Speedman's role but withdrew after he and Paltrow announced the end of their off-camera relationship. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 786936144710
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:52:00
• Sales Rank: 3,013

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