Duets
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"Duets" redirects here. For other uses, see Duets (disambiguation).
| Duets | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Bruce Paltrow |
| Produced by | Executive Producers: Tony Ludwig Lee R. Mayes Alan Riche Neil Canton Producers: John Byrum Bruce Paltrow Kevin Jones |
| Written by | John Byrum |
| Starring | Paul Giamatti Gwyneth Paltrow Maria Bello Andre Braugher Huey Lewis |
| Music by | David Newman |
| Cinematography | Paul Sarossy |
| Editing by | Gerald B. Greenberg |
| Distributed by | Hollywood Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 9, 2000 (Toronto Film Festival) |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16,000,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Duets (2000) is an American road trip comedy film co-produced and directed by Bruce Paltrow, and written by John Byrum. The motion picture features an ensemble cast co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti, Maria Bello, Andre Braugher, Huey Lewis, among others.[1]
The movie revolves around the little known world of karaoke competitions and the wayward characters who inhabit it.
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[edit] Plot
Ricky Dean (Huey Lewis) is a hustler on the karaoke circuit and travels from town to town. We meet up with him in Tulsa on his way to a big competition in Omaha.
He is detoured after getting a phone call and travels to Las Vegas for the funeral of an old friend. While he's there, he meets up with long-lost daughter Liv (Gwyneth Paltrow), who decides she wants to join him on the road.
Meanwhile, a stressed out salesman Todd Woods (Paul Giamatti) realizes he's so burned out from being on the road that he doesn't even know what city he's in.
When Woods gets home, his wife Candy (Kiersten Warren) and his two kids are too self-absorbed to even say hello to him. He goes out for a pack of cigarettes, gets sidetracked and discovers karaoke. In the process he makes a new friend, Reggie Kane (Andre Braugher), a convict on the lam. Woods tells Reggie what he feels is wrong:
- Our society lacks finesse.
We meet Billy (Scott Speedman), a young man who drives a cab and finds himself involved with sexy Suzi Loomis (Maria Bello). She's on her way to California, in a hurry. At first, Billy does not want to help, but Suzi says:
- I'm gonna be the only major thing that has happened to you in your life, and you're gonna be jerking off to my memory on your goddamned death bed!
Ultimately, karaoke becomes the vehicle through which this eclectic bunch begin to discover just what it is they're looking for.
The characters soon discover that all roads lead to Omaha, site of a national karaoke competition where this motley group of singers come together for a blow-out sing-off.
The characters, who search to find their way in the world, use both music and the people they meet in the karaoke bars as a way to alleviate the pressures of life and in the process connect with one another and form friendships.
Each of the eccentric singers display their own unique and special talents and perform many well known cover songs throughout the film, hence the title: Duets.
[edit] Background
This was the only time Gwyneth Paltrow and her producer/director father Bruce Paltrow worked together on a film project and it was also Bruce Paltrow's last production before his death.
Brad Pitt was first cast in Speedman's role, but, after he and Gwyneth Paltrow announced the end of their off-camera romance, Pitt decided not to take the role.
[edit] Film locations
The film locations include: Las Vegas, Nevada, British Columbia, Canada, and Omaha, Nebraska.
[edit] Cast
- Maria Bello as Suzi Loomis
- Andre Braugher as Reggie Kane
- Paul Giamatti as Todd Woods
- Huey Lewis as Ricky Dean
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Liv
- Scott Speedman as Billy Hannan
- Lochlyn Munro as Ronny Jackson
- John Pinette as Finals singer
- Angie Dickinson as Blair
- Maya Rudolph as Omaha Hostess
- Kiersten Warren as Candy Woods
- Marian Seldes as Harriet Gahagan
- Keegan Connor Tracy as Sheila, Albuquerque singer
- Aaron Pearl as Buddy
[edit] Critical reception
Even though film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper gave the film "a thumbs up" on their television program, Ebert wrote in his film column, "Duets has little islands of humor and even perfection, floating in a sea of missed marks and murky intentions."[2] And, Kenneth Turan, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, called the film ""six characters in search of a movie. Any movie will do..."[3]
Yet, critic Bob Graham, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, liked the spirit of the film and the acting, even though he believes some of the dialogue was off, and he wrote, "Cut Duets some slack. This is an appealing, and ultimately moving, ensemble comedy/drama about ordinary folks whose one chance at anything resembling stardom is a karaoke contest...The fable style is a fragile one. The Ally McBeal test probably applies here. Fans of that show are likely to give themselves over to Duets, too."[4]
Film critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, of the website Spirituality and Practice, liked the singing in the film and the screenplay and they wrote, "Part of the genuine pleasure in Duets is watching these six people experience the joy of singing in Karaoke bars. Equally notable is the clever screenplay by John Byrum that offers a scorching critique of the American way of life. The chief spokesperson for this is Todd whose belief in success and suburbia has been trashed. In one scene, he and Reggie lament that they have spent so much of their lives in small rooms: one is referring to his motel accommodations and the other to a prison cell."[5]
Overall, a lot of critics echoed Stephanie Zacharek's review in Salon.com. She wrote, "Its three interlocking stories don't find the right rhythmic balance, and some of the dialogue is stiff and mannered." Yet Zacharek did praise the acting and the film's message. She added, "In that respect, the way Duets treats its characters is refreshing. There are brief moments when it reminds us that plenty of people enjoy karaoke at the expense of their audience (during one scene an Asian businessman warbles tunelessly in the background), but Duets isn't out to make anyone look ridiculous."[6]
[edit] Distribution
The producers marketed the film using the following tagline:
- Six lost souls in search of a little harmony.
The film was first presented at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9, 2000. When released Duets suffered at the box-office. The first week's gross sales at the box-office was $2,002,588 (581 screens) and the total receipts for the run were $4,734,235.
In its widest release the film was featured in 583 theaters and the film was in circulation seven weeks.[7]The production budget was $16,000,000.
[edit] Release dates
- United States: September 15, 2000 (limited basis)
- United Kingdom: December 1, 2000
- New Zealand: January 18, 2001
- Australia: February 8, 2001
[edit] DVD
A DVD of the film was released on May 8, 2001 by Walt Disney Video. The DVD contained additional features: a commentary track by director Bruce Paltrow and producer Kevin Jones, additional scenes, conversations with director Bruce Paltrow, and a multi-angle music video of "Cruisin'."
[edit] Soundtrack
An original motion picture soundtrack CD was released on September 12, 2000 by Hollywood Records. The CD contained twelve tracks including the original music composed for the film by Randy Newman.
The actors who sang their own tunes in the film, and included in the CD, are: Huey Lewis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamanti, and Maria Bello. Arnold McCuller sings all of Andre Braugher's songs including Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," performed a cappella.
The soundtrack spawned two hit singles in Australia, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis' "Cruisin'" spending two weeks at #1 on the Australian singles chart, and Paltrow's "Bette Davis Eyes" peaking at #3.
The Canadian crooner Michael Bublé has a cameo singing "Strangers in the Night," but it is not included in the soundtrack.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Duets at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, September 9, 2000. Last accessed: December 12, 2007.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth. Los Angeles Times, film review, "Nothing Much to Sing About," September 15, 2000.
- ^ Graham, Bob. San Francisco Chronicle, page C-3, "Ordinary Folks Find Their Voices, 'Duets' a fable set in karaoke bar," September 15, 2000.
- ^ Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. Spirituality and Practice web site, September 2000.
- ^ Zacharek, Stephanie. Salon, film review, September 15, 2000.
- ^ The Numbers box office data. Last accessed: December 12, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Duets at the Internet Movie Database
- Duets at Allmovie
- Duets at Rotten Tomatoes
- Duets at Metacritic
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