Duets

Except for the inspired comedic idea of having '80s yuppie-rocker Huey Lewis playing a vagabond karaoke hustler, Duets is a train wreck of grating performances, narrative miscalculations and cinematic ineptitude from which no one involved walks away unscathed. Directed by Bruce Paltrow (Gwyneth's dad), this trio of converging road trip tales follows karaoke singers on cross-country treks to The Big Competition finale, where trite, ham-fisted life lessons are laid on thick. Wooden Huey bonds with his estranged daughter (a whiny, ditzy Gwyneth Paltrow); miserable traveling salesman Paul Giamatti belts them out with a crooning escaped convict (Andre Braugher) he picked up on the highway; and spiritually lost cab driver Scott Speedman chauffeurs brassy Maria Bello around while she sings for her supper and degrades herself performing sex acts for free hotel suites night after night. A tacky, tedious mix of comedy and sour melodrama. Not recommended. (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Mar. 12, 2019—Kino Lorber, 112 min., R, DVD: $11.95, Blu-ray: $19.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 2000’s Duets features a fine transfer with a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by director Bruce Paltrow and producer Kevin Jones, a conversation with Paltrow (8 min.), additional scenes (6 min.), and a 'Multi-Angle Music Video' (3 min.). Bottom line: a forgettable film then and now.]