As a film critic, the ideal would be to see every film without preconceptions. Unfortunately, since this is the real world, that's not the way things work.
Duets is a case in point.
It is with some relief that I can report that the movie isn't nearly as bad as I feared it would be, but that shouldn't be construed as a recommendation. Duets is a clumsily constructed motion picture that could have been a lot better with a tighter and more focused script. The director is Bruce Paltrow, the father of Gwyneth, which explains the Academy Award winning actress' participation in a project that would ordinarily be considered slumming for her. In fact, it's not too much of stretch to envision that Duets was greenlighted solely because of her involvement. His debut, which occurred 18 years ago with A Little Sex , was a forgettable romantic comedy starring Tim Matheson and Kate Capshaw.