Duets

REVIEW
A white businessman in his midlife crisis and a black convict soon to be martyred. A slut with a heart of gold and a young man dropped out of the priesthood. A karaoke hustler(!) and his long-forgotten daughter. These predictably unlikely pairings form the hollow heart of Duets, a comedy-drama that revolves around karaoke contests and climaxes with an acapella reading of Lynyrd Skynrd's "Free Bird." While Giamatti and Ms. Paltrow prove to have some chops (only Braugher's voice is dubbed), think about the plot again: karaoke contests! Mr. Paltrow's roots in TV are apparent; all that's missing is the commercial breaks. Crummy dialogue abounds (Giamatti's ex-businessman emotionally states "I’m different now. I sing.") in a movie that can't find a groove.