Duets film review

certificate_15

DUETS

It takes two to tango, but only one person to wreck a perfectly good film. With Duets, a misfiring road movie which chugs through the karaoke bars of middle America, it's difficult to know where to apportion blame - cast and crew appear united in their desire to make the worst of a bad situation. The story concerns a sextet of lost souls, searching for meaning among the ruins of their lives, who converge in Omaha, Nebraska, to take part in the 5,000-dollar Grand Prize Karaoke Contest.

All have reasons for making the road trip to the Cornhusker State, and any one of them could, potentially, walk away with the top prize.

Among the hopefuls are hustler Ricky Dean (Huey Lewis) and his simple yet sweet daughter Liv (Gwyneth Paltrow), who craves the security of family and to be loved - two things which don't figure very highly, if at all, on her father's list of priorities.

There is also salesman Todd Woods (Paul Giamatti) and ex-con Reggie (Andre Braugher), who has a rap sheet from hell but sings like an angel. Finally comes West Virginia-born waitress Suzi Loomis (Mario Bello) who hopes to secure a free ride to Omaha by flirting with down-on-his-luck cab driver Billy (Scott Speedman).

Like the new Spice Girls and Westlife albums, Duets is a triumph of marketing and image over substance, sandwiching a couple of good songs between plenty of dross.

Ignoring all the implausible melodramatics, the film might pass for Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes. In its current form, it could well be the most expensive advertisement ever made for a soundtrack compilation album. All the cast members give their vocal chords a good work-out, apart from Braugher who lip-synchs poorly to the angelic Arnold McCuller, and Speedman who just seems to make up the numbers.

Lewis is the only principal cast member with any professional singing experience and he shines in his solos, proving his gravelly voice has lost none of its power and range.

The real surprise is Paltrow who can hold a tune rather well. She manages a passable rendition of the Kim Carnes anthem Bette Davis Eyes and then duets with her screen father on the Smokey Robinson classic Cruisin. Don't be surprised to see the track making a bid for chart glory in the near future.

Giamatti's version of Hello, It's Me and Bello's take on Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me pale in comparison, but Todd and Reggie's rousing duet on Try A Little Tenderness hits all the right notes.