OxfordPress.com

Grade: D

Verdict: Too many sour notes.

Details: Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Andre Braugher and Huey Lewis. Directed by Bruce Paltrow. Rated R for profanity and brief sex. One hour, 53 minutes.

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Review: Even the opening credits for "Duets" are off-key. Why, you wonder, is an A-list, Oscar-winning actress appearing with a semi-known ensemble cast in a movie about karaoke?

The answer is as easy as it is distressing. Check the name of the picture's producer/director. It's Bruce Paltrow. As in, father of Gwyneth...

Kudos to a dutiful daughter, but lending your star-shine to something like "Duets" may be going too far.

"Duets" is a dismal little film in which six characters, who should be in search of an author, are in search of the nearest karaoke bar. They're all hooked on the three-minutes-of-fame you get by singing your heart out to a pre-recorded background CD. Plus, there's the prize money - $5,000 if you win the Big Sing-Off in Omaha.

Our contestants are as varied as, well, the passengers on "The Love Boat." But underneath their differences, they're variations on a theme: one a naif, one worldly-wise who learns from the naif.

Paltrow's character is an exceedingly sheltered Vegas showgirl whose mom has just died. That reunites her with the father (Huey Lewis formerly of Huey Lewis & The News) she never knew. To get to know him better, she insists on tagging along as he heads for Omaha. What she doesn't realize is that he's a karaoke hustler - did you know there were such things? - meaning, he's a professional singer who poses as a clueless amateur and beats the non-pros by professing ignorance of and even disdain for the karaoke phenomenon.

Next are a traveling salesman (Paul Giamatti) and a canny ex-con (Andre Braugher, formerly of TV's "Homicide"). The former is a burn-out case, worn to a frazzle by life on the road and a family that barely knows if he's home or not. The latter is a lifer prone to pulling a gun on those kind enough to give him a ride. What they have in common are good voices and a healthy disrespect for the Establishment.

Finally, there's "Felicity's" Scott Speedman (in a role once ear-marked for Brad Pitt) and Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly"). He's a former seminary student, now driving a cab but still convinced of people's essential goodness. She's a tough cookie making her way across the country by dispensing sexual favors in exchange for the best room at the local Ramada.

Everyone ends up in Omaha, where the director further taxes our patience - this is almost a two-hour movie - by showing us a bit of the competition. So for anyone who misses "Star Search" and wants to watch a really fat guy who sings really well, here's your chance.

The cast gets to sing, too, and they all manage it well. Gwyneth gets to sing twice. She has a pleasant if somewhat thin voice. Mostly, you find yourself studying her hair extensions. Very blonde, very straight and very long. Substitute "bland" for "blonde" and you've got a pretty good description of her movie.

— Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Cox News Service