Duets

Three pairs of strangers (Scott Speedman, Maria Bello, Paul Giamatti, Andre Baugher, Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow) share misadventures, conflicts and cathartic experiences in this shallow, contrived, serio-comic road trip. Karaoke becomes a bonding agent for these hustlers and lonely souls as they converge on an Omaha bar, where the evening’s karaoke purse is a cool $5,000. Song menus double as stepping stones to the American dream, and canned music and an open microphone allow losers to soar as cocktail-lounge songbirds. The highlight here is a version of “Try a Little Tenderness” by Baugher and Giamatti. Directed by Bruce Paltrow (Gwyneth’s father).