DUETS

US, 2000, 112 minutes, Colour.
Paul Giamatti, Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Huey Lewis, Maria Bello, Angie Dickinson, Marianne Seldes, Lochlyn Munro.
Directed by Bruce Paltrow.

Duets was written by John Byrum, writer-director of many films and TV programs, director of Inserts, Heartbeat and The Razor’s Edge in the 1970s and 80s. It was directed by television director, Bruce Paltrow. His daughter, Gwyneth, is one of the stars – playing the daughter of a singer played by actual singer Huey Lewis. Angie Dickinson has a guest role as her grandmother.

The film has an interesting cast, especially Paul Giamatti, Maria Bello and Andre Brauer. Each of the main characters is involved in the karaoke competitions that are popular around the United States.

This means that Duets is a road movie, the interconnection of several stories as well as a musical with a zest for karaoke and songs.

1.An interesting and entertaining slice of life? A piece of Americana, Middle America?

2.The Middle American towns, the streets, the bars, the hotels? The open road?

3.The musical score, the range of songs, the performances, the lyrics as illustrating characters and situations? The popularity of karaoke? The competitions?

4.The title, singing the songs, partnerships? Liv and Ricky Dean? Reggie and Todd? Billy and Suzi? Billy and Liv at the end?

5.The three principal stories, the introduction, combining them, the characters meeting, singing, striving to win the competition?

6.Billy’s story, Ronnie Jackson and his singing karaoke, Billy and his watching, his age, his seminary background, owning half the taxi, his partner, his girlfriend, catching them in the house together, his disillusionment? Her argument with him in the bar and Suzi listening in? The old lady passenger and her remembering him, getting him to talk about himself, his ambitions, change of mind? Suzi, intervening, his decision to drive her, her easy manner, the sexual encounter, her deals with him? Going to the hotels, the competition, her winning? At the hotel, Suzi and her favours (and for the painting of the car pink)? His watching the acts, meeting Liv and Ricky Dean, the taxi ride, offering Ricky Dean and Liv a lift to California? A good-natured man? Wanting to help people?

7.Suzi, brash, arriving on the bus, listening to Billy and his girlfriend, talking with Billy, persuading him about the taxi, the painting of the taxi? Her favours, her California dream? The hotel, singing, winning, going to Omaha, sick before her performance, her exuberance on stage, the end and going to California?

8.Ricky Dean and Ronnie Jackson and the initial hustle, his singing, sexual favours, the phone call, his arrival for the funeral, meeting his wife’s mother, meeting Liv, the truth about his being a father, his inability to accept responsibility? Going on the road, Liv going with him, the hustle and the brawl with the singer’s manager? Arriving at the hotel, inviting Liv to sing with him in the competition? Their going off to California with Billy? Liv, her age, her ability to sing, talking over matters with her father, the photos, the memories? Helping him with the hustle? With the singing? Her meeting Billy and the friendship?

9.Todd, at the airport, frazzled, the increasing pressure, the enormous amount of travelling, giving his speech to the wrong group? Going home, his son ignoring him, his wife being online and not listening? Going out to buy some cigarettes? Going, his freedom? The experience of a breakdown? His trying to get some hotel rooms with his Frequent Flyer credits? The failure? Offering Reggie the lift? Talking, teaching him how to drive? The gun? In the store, the shooting? Singing the duet – ‘Try a Little Tenderness’? The police presence, their bowing out of the competition? The deeper talking with Reggie, Reggie phoning Todd’s wife, her coming out to Omaha, the meeting? His final song about freedom? Pulling the gun, shot? His final advice to Todd? Todd and his meeting with his wife, accepting reality, but not going back to work – and the humour of finally getting some kind of satisfaction from his thousands of Frequent Flyers?

10.Reggie, his character, the truth about his being in jail, his discussion with the truckie, genial, the quotes about errors of judgment, robbing the truckie, getting the lift with Todd, the encounter with him, wanting to sing, his improvising ‘Try a Little Tenderness’, his final song, his doing a good deed for reconciling Todd with his wife? His death? Guns and the American way?

11.The background of karaoke, the bars, the customers, the hotels, competitions? People’s appreciation?

12.The focus on a small group but the universal meanings?