Duets (2000)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Bruce Paltrow

Writer (WGA):

John Byrum (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Six lost souls in search of a little harmony.

Plot:

A professional karaoke hustler reconnects with his daughter and a bored suburban businessman turns outlaw karaoke singer, among other plotlines.

Plot Keywords:

Karaoke | Pub | Singing Contest | Drinking | Topless

Cast

Lochlyn Munro	...	Ronny Jackson
Carol Alexander	...	Beth the Hostess
Michael Rogers	...	Tulsa Bartender
Huey Lewis	...	Ricky Dean
Amanda Kravat	...	Redhead
Paul Giamatti	...	Todd Woods
Ian Robison	...	Sales Guy
Roger Haskett	...	Sales Guy
John Payne	...	Sales Guy
Scott Speedman	...	Billy
Tom Bougers	...	Desk Sergeant
Marian Seldes	...	Harriet Gahagan
Angie Phillips	...	Arlene
Steve Oatway	...	Ralph Beckerman
Erika von Tagen	...	Julie (as Erika Von Tagen)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #37116) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:M | Spain:7 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

In the hotel scene with Scott Speedman and Maria Bello, Scott sits with his shirt off. We see him wearing a gold necklace with a Broken Heart pendant hanging on it; it is the other half of Gwyneth's necklace, the one she claims her father gave her on her 3rd birthday. This is never explained in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Suzi Loomis wins the contest, she is holding the prize before the emcee gives it to her, then in the next shot, she is being handed the money by the emcee.

Quotes:

Todd Woods: Sorry Candy, I'm going out for a pack of cigarettes.
Candy: But Todd, You don't smoke!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Conversations with Bruce Paltrow (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Lonely Teardrops

Guilty pleasure.

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.