Themes: Fathers and Daughters, Unlikely Friendships, Musician's Life
Main Cast: Maria Bello, Andre Braugher, Paul Giamatti, Huey Lewis, Gwyneth Paltrow
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Director Bruce Paltrow teams with his Oscar-winning daughter Gwyneth Paltrow for this road comedy with music. Paltrow plays Liv, a struggling professional singer whose meets her father, Ricky Dean (Huey Lewis), for the first time at the funeral of her mother. As it turns out, both Liv and Ricky supplement the income from few-and-far-between gigs by singing in karaoke contests, and soon father and daughter are competing on the same circuit. Meanwhile, Todd Woods (Paul Giamatti), a salesman who has grown disenchanted with his job, his family, and his life, picks up a hitch-hiker named Reggie Kane (Andre Braugher), and during a stop at a tavern, they discover they make a good duet team while belting out a version of "Try A Little Tenderness." And waitress Suzi Loomis (Maria Bello) sweet talks Billy (Scott Speedman), a cabbie, into driving her to Omaha, where the national karaoke finals will determine who does the best job of singing along with the records, as the lives of these six characters begin to intersect. Duets also features Angie Dickinson as Blair, Liv's grandmother who was once a showgirl in Frank Sinatra's Las Vegas floorshow; Brad Pitt was originally cast in Speedman's role but withdrew after he and Paltrow announced the end of their off-camera relationship. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
William Weslup - Art Director, Katherine E. Beyda - Associate Producer, Francine Maisler - Casting, Kathleen Briscoll-Mohler - Casting, Mary Claire Hannan - Costume Designer, Jim Brebner - First Assistant Director, Bruce Paltrow - Director, Jerry Greenberg - Editor, Neil Canton - Executive Producer, Lee R. Mayes - Executive Producer, Tony Ludwig - Executive Producer, Alan Riche - Executive Producer, David Newman - Composer (Music Score), Dick Rudolph - Musical Direction/Supervision, Maya Rudolph - Musical Direction/Supervision, Sharon Seymour - Production Designer, Paul Sarossy - Cinematographer, John Byrum - Producer, Bruce Paltrow - Producer, Kevin Jones - Producer, Lesley Beale - Set Designer, Bill McMahon - Set Designer, Eric Batut - Sound/Sound Designer, John Byrum - Screenwriter, Todd Toon - Supervising Sound Editor, Donald J. Malouf - Supervising Sound Editor, Lesley Beale - Set Decorator, Paul Jabara - Featured Music
