Duets
(2000)
If you want to see the most ignored and underappreciated
masterpiece of the year, then see "Duets." The marketing
and hype for this film has nothing going for it. Nothing.
This film's biggest marketing point, the teaming of
Gwyneth Paltrow with her director father Bruce, has
been virtually ignored by the masterminds at Disney/Hollywood
who released the film. "Duets" also got buried by the
company because it has a very adult storyline; by that
I mean it's as insightful and interesting as "American
Beauty" or "Almost Famous." It isn't a throw-away, disposable
film. It's not fluff. It's about something. Disney just
didn't seem to know what to do with the film, which
is an absolute shame. The poster, which features two
ugly old microphones and the title "Duets" (get it),
is one of the most bland and uninteresting one-sheets
to be unleashed on the moviegoing public this year.
And the fact that the film is about Karaoke singers
also seems to be impossible to overcome in the marketing
department. This film was quietly released to almost
no fanfare in 22 cities and will surely die a quiet
death at the box office. And this is a shame.
"Duets" is an amusing, sassy, intelligent and poignant
film about people; more precisely, about people coming
together. The film begins with so many seeming storylines,
that one feels there is far too much going on. We don't
think we can keep track of all the plotlines. But after
the initial set- up, we realize we are only concentrating
on three strands of a plot that will weave together
in a big Karaoke contest at the climax.
And now is the perfect time to come to the film's
defense about the use of Karaoke. Bottom line: It's
brilliant. Don't let the idea of the singing craze fool
you, this film is pure entertainment. We never really
have to sit through a bad vocal performance nor does
the film make fun of the fad's practitioners. "Duets"
uses Karaoke as a milieu for a film about the release
of emotions, the coming together of people, the struggle
to find an identity and much more. Karaoke is a wonderful
emotional release. In one of the most killer lines in
the film, a character who has been "changed" by the
power of Karaoke says, "I'm different now; I sing."
It is his way of saying that he has found his "self"
again. That he is now alive, no longer dead inside.
It's beautiful.
The performances in this film are stellar - STELLAR,
Oscar worthy achievements. No one is more spectacular
or profound than Paul Giamatti. As a salesman experiencing
a midlife crisis of epic proportions (think of him as
a slightly amusing Kevin Spacey from "American Beauty),
Giamatti's Todd Woods finds himself adrift in the plastic
world he has helped to create. And while this could
be a fairly typical and drab character, Woods comes
alive in Giamatti's hands. He soars within the boundaries
of the material and opens up the film to some of it's
most emotionally impacting and touching moments. His
trajectory is nothing short of brilliant and Giamatti
surely deserves much kudos for all he is able to accomplish
within it. If he walked off with this year's Best Actor
Oscar, I would have nothing but applause for him.
Equally deserving is Maria Bello as Suzi Loomis, a
feisty and uninhibited woman who will do anything -
I said anything - to achieve her goals. And finally
there's Paltrow. As a sexy and slightly dumb ingenue,
Paltrow creates a character out of her normal range.
Her innocence and wide-eyed openness continually invites
us into her storyline.
And while all of these characterizations are wonderful
and full bodied, they come to brilliant fruition with
the convergence of another character, forming three
unions, the titular three, if you will, "Duets." Giamatti's
"lost" salesmen is found by the most original and unexpected
"angel" (Andre Baugher) to occur in cinema in quite
some time. Bello's cocky seductress meets her match
in a optimistic cuckold and Paltrow's naive woman-child
finally meets her long absent father and grows up a
bit. All of these threads weave a masterful and marvellous
tapestry of an ensemble piece that never fails to make
us laugh, make us cry, make us think and make us, well,
wanna sing.
The music in the film is nothing short of fun. To the
best of my knowledge, all of the actors sing their own
parts and although none are truly phenomenal, except
perhaps for Braugher of course, they all find tunes
that work perfectly for their vocal ranges and character's
themes. Giamatti coming to life while covering Todd
Rundgren's "Hello, It's Me," Paltrow doing a sultry
version of Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes," Bello ripping
through a sexy take on the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams,"
are all wonderful moments in the film.
Paltrow (Mr.) may not be the most talented indie director
around but he does well here. Sure, this film is a character
driven piece that doesn't require a lot of grit or flash,
but Paltrow manages to make the settings and the exteriors
complement the somewhat cheesy and middle-class themes
of the film. He's obviously a TV vet, but he manages
to at least keep his head above water here. His ability
to mold John Byrum's script into a meaningful, full
bodied film by utilizing masterful actors and well-thought-out
pacing truly aids the film to become a classic.
"Duets" has nothing going for it on the outside. But
when you strip away your expectations and prejudices
against the director, the actors, and the themes, you
find a beautiful little pearl inside. A masterpiece
of new independent film. Forget your preconceived notions
and let "Duets" wow you. It's a really awesome, solid
film.
Note:
Also with Huey Lewis, Angie Dickinson, Scott Speedman,
and Lochlyn Munro.
The movie was slated for a May release then moved
back to September. Disney apparently made Paltrow cut
ten minutes from the film including some scenes of intense
violence.
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