Joseph Hill

This is a great movie for people who like good music and quirky dark comedies. Huey Lewis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti, Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, and Maria Bello round out the Duets main cast. An aging lounge singer turned karaoke hustler Lewis finds a daughter he’d left behind at a funeral in Vegas. Paltrow’s character is at times too childish and too mature so we never get a great sense of her age or character arc, but damn can she sing! Paul Giamatti goes out for a pack of cigarettes and ends up disillusioned with his corporate traveling sales job. Although his premise is a little unclear as well. Why someone selling an amusement park would be traveling all over the world needed some back story work. His character meets Braugher (you’ll know him from Brooklyn 99) and the pair Discover a shared love of music. Speedman is an underachieving do-gooder who owns half a cab and comes across an unexpected fare in Bello who just wants to get to California no matter what it costs her. The music is what beautifully ties the narrative together and every time I watch it I am later lost in thought about the deeper meaning. The places it lacks are overshadowed by the great actor performances and the singing is amazing. It is also a poignant piece because Bruce Paltrow, Gwyneth’s father, who also produced St. Elsewhere in the 80s was diagnosed with oral cancer and died 2 years after the film release. Who wouldn’t want to sing a duet with Huey Lewis? And who would have known that Andre Braugher has the voice of an angel? Definitely on my list of under the radar favorites over the years.