Two of the best actors in the US, and my personal favorites as well. What can go wrong ? Well for one thing have the movie be a vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie's most uninteresting storyline. If the script had just dropped that story about the lost "Dad" and fleshed out the other two stories a bit more then this movie would have been awesome. Its not that she is so bad at the singing or Lewis is an awful actor, but their story is just so boring and kliché... Still at least Giamatti and Maria Bello has since had a lot of good roles, now we just need more of Andre Braugher :-) Cant be long before we see a movie like this, just set in the world of competitive computer-gaming. That would be very weird indeed, but lets see if I am right.

What a movie ! Actually except for the bloody climax it could've been one of the greatest movies ever made. It's not another road movie or else; it's one sharp reviewing for the real meaning of "duet" in our contemporary life. When they choose the karaoke it wasn't randomly as long as no one is born with the gift of knowing how to love. The singer on the stage needs an audience to be that bond that could make the both of them happy or lively so the human relationships. You must practice a lot to be that talented in love because it's not about the tune inasmuch as the way of your singing.. The way you feel and want the other to feel. Therefore (Giamatti)'s character said at the end "I sing now!" as he meant that he loves AND gets used to be loved.You would grasp the smart philosophy of it when you notice how it got all the main connections' kinds : the family (Gwyneth Paltrow & Huey Lewis), the friendship (Andre Braugher & Paul Giamatti), and the love story (Gwyneth Paltrow & Scott Speedman). It can't be life without being in a duet.Despite that it got solid catchy characters, some clever ironic situations (especially at the first act), but I didn't like the whole third act whereas I didn't see (Maria Bello)'s development as a character for the better, or even the logicality of the peacemaking between the father and his daughter, not to mention the melodramatic death of (Andre Braugher) !! I couldn't perceive for a second why he committed suicide like this ! The script wanted to make him that martyr friend, or that solo forever character..Fine ! But in the most unconvincing way ! Besides the confusion at the matter of killing the road store's owner or not; which wasn't for the sake of the movie, totally unlike the confusion of who did win at the end ? As simply and wonderfully put : they all won ! The songs at the end were dramatically expressing to the utmost. The performance was perfect yet as always (Paul Giamatti) is sunnier than the rest as that extinguished exhausted man, partly because he's everyone's impossible dream as the easy rider of the middle class, or the angry insane version of (Albert Brooks) in (Lost in America).It's representing how life is a complicated duet, and if both try their best at it then they may have the biggest trophy of them all : Love.

I admit it -- I'm a total sucker for this movie for all of the right reasons, and some of the wrong ones (like, it's very touching to me that Bruce Paltrow made this movie with his daughter Gwyneth and died a year or so later). Having Huey Lewis in the movie and singing a few of his monster hits is a plus all by itself, and it turns out he can actually act decently. The Paul Giamatti - Andre Braugher duo, both in terms of plot, their excellent acting, and their blow-you-away singing performance, is something I never tire of seeing, and I've watched this movie five times and have it on disk. The plot is superficially pedestrian but actually very engaging and psychologically legitimate despite the displays of craziness by the characters. People do get crazy and do that kind of stuff. As for Gwyneth Paltrow, there seems to be no role she can't get into and occupy with beautiful effect.This was never intended to be a Great Movie. It was a nice little story, made into a very fine, charming, stick-to-your memory movie with talent oozing out the corners. People who rate it mediocre are just not seeing the pearl for the oyster.

This is a movie I had walked past in the movie aisle for years. It always thought it looked intriguing. The cover along had the look of an independent film. However, independent can often mean independent of entertainment -- just watch 200 Cigarettes, abhor. I knew it'd be risk watching this flick but I was up to the challenge.Labeled as a laugh out loud comedy (though I found it in the drama section), Bruce Paltrow crafted a very touching flick. Here you have a full-time karaoke wise guy who is reconnected to his long lost daughter --a corporate slave who goes overboard and meets a stranger in the middle of nowhere -- a sensitive taxi driver (a Patrick Dempsey clone) who meets a bimbo who thinks she's all that.These 3 sets of people are all on different paths. But they're all on a path to nowhere. Whether they have family or not, a strong emptiness exists in each character. This could be an excuse to get overly gloomy as Hollywood is often keen to do. Not quite the case.I don't want to comment on the individual performances -- none of them stood out. They were all real, believable, and you could feel compassion for each of them (even the bimbo). Each person has their own demons that may or may not be obvious to themselves. That's not to say the characters aren't strong -- they all have a distinct personality. But all of them mold perfectly into the comforting feel of the movie.This movie isn't trying to make any grandiose statements. It's really a tale about 6 lost souls that take a liking to karaoke. Despite their separate journeys they all meet one in Ohama for an event nobody will forget.I'm struggling to get in depth about this movie so I'll leave it here. You won't be blown away but you will walk away feeling very satisfied. Despite some sadness the movie ends on a good note. Hollywood told a good story here. Highly Recommended.