BILLED as a road trip film with karaoke overtures, Duets is Bruce Paltrow's directorial re-debut. It is terrible.

The film follows the story of six confused souls who give up their ordinary lives (not to mention all semblance of dignity) and set out for a karaoke contest in Omaha, Nebraska. All trying to escape the pressures of adult responsibility, these players find courage and freedom on the Karaoke stage. Or so Paltrow would have us believe.

In truth, Duets falls flat not because of the insipid musical numbers, but because not one of the characters conveys any heart. Through a twisted plotline that touches upon issues of crime, father/daughter relationships and commercial take-overs in America, the characters evoke not a shred of sympathy from the audience. I am not even sure who to blame for this farce. With veteran performers like Gwenyth 'director's daughter' Paltrow, bit-part expert Paul Giamatti and serious sitcom star Andre Braugher, the film should have hit at least a baby pool level of depth. Instead, the stars floundered around in their paper-thin storylines like fish out of water.

Not that there isn't a certain schmaltzy poetry to the musical characterisations in this movie. There's the waitress (Maria Bello) from West Virginia who gives sexual favours to anyone from whom she needs something; her song is 'I Can't Make You Love Me'. The ex-con who won't give up the life sings 'Free Bird'. His salesman comrade, weary from his middle-class life, croons 'Try a Little Tenderness'. The naive Vegas showgirl sings a sultry but child-like version of 'Bette Davis Eyes'.

The over-arching theme of shedding the chains of ordinary life to follow a dream is not a new one. I've never seen anyone use Karaoke as representative of this epiphany, however. Perhaps there is good reason for that. Even Huey Lewis's gruff numbers couldn't set me right with the film. And by the way, who decided that old Huey could act? Certainly no one involved with real movies, I hope.

If you are fooled (as I admit I might have been) by the talent attached to this film, make sure you understand that you are headed for a bunch of whining, one-dimensional characters who all find their meaning-of-life revelations in a Karaoke bar. Are these the types of people with whom you want to spend your time? If so, be my guest. Just remember that I told you to give it a pass.