I really love to sing; I've always been a singer - in fact, I've never had multiple car accidents in pursuit of hitting that one note. When I was a younger driver, I remember driving along a road, which I thought was straight - and I came across a round-a-bout. At the time, my head was thrown back, my eyes were closed - and I was making a Whitney Houston number my own. Luckily, this did not end in disaster - and I've lived to sing another day.
The biggest problem in my life then (and really, what a moment of gratitude) is that no one will let me sing near them. I try to serenade my wife, 'Thanks, but be quiet'. I try and get sing-a-longs going in the car, and then nothin'. I've been told that I'm better at listening to others sing, but not to sing myself.
Therefore, I choose to watch the film, 'Duets' alone - so I can sing alone. This ritual actually started many, many, many, many years ago - and it's a film I love because of the way it offers audience participation (I don't think it was intended, but, I encourage everyone to find their Whitney moments).
A quick search has led me to learn that the film's budget was incredibly tiny, at only $21 million, and that it only made $6.6 million at the box office. In anyone's language, that's underrated.
So in a nutshell, here's the story:
Gweneth Paltow is the main character, Liv - has lost her mother, and is reunited with the father she never knew at the funeral. That's pair one. The second pair is made up of Todd, who has just had a mental breakdown from living the 'suburban dream' - that he just has to leave his family and drive; along the way picking up Reggie, who ultimately will try and get Todd back with his family. And then the third pair is the unlikely love interest. Billy is a cab driver who has discovered his girlfriend cheating on him, and then there's Suzi - who is a bit of a hustler. She gets in his cab, and convinces him to drive her across the country.
With the three pairs off on their adventures, the camera offers us an insight into their lives - but the film is punctuated by each pairings visit to the karaoke bars they encounter on the road. Each pair is successful, consistently winning the purse wherever they happen to venture - and by doing so, qualify for a $5,000 first prize tournament in Omaha. This is where the narratives will all intersect at the end of the film -
- The father and daughter will re-unite and share a strong bond.
- Billy and Suzi decide to keep the roadtrip moving, inviting Liv and her father along for the ride.
- Todd and his wife Candy appear to have reunited with each other (let's believe in the happy ending).
- And a police squad enter the competition, and shoot the wanted fugitive Reggie.
You need to hear Reggie's 'Free Bird' - the final song in the film:
These are the other songs, for your singing pleasure - every time 'Try a Little Tenderness' plays, I feel like I'm in the bar with them - I love singing along to that one.
Here's Try A Little Tenderness
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