At The Movies

Father Knows Best

In "Duets," Jewish filmmaker Bruce Paltrow finally gets the chance
to direct his Oscar-winning daughter, Gwyneth.

PHILIP BERK

Special to the Jewish News

hen director/producer Bruce Paltrow
(yes, he's Gwyneth's dad) discovered a
screenplay written by his friend John
Byrum, he was instantly impressed
with its originality. The film, Duets, opening today,
"is about three pairs of people — three duets — all
of whom are searching to find something missing
from their lives, and their paths converge," says
Paltrow.
The metaphor for this quest is karaoke, as in rau-
cous bars, video monitors and off-key standards like,
"Try A Little Tenderness." The film is about having
the courage to stand up, sing and be free.
Coincidentally, Paltrow already had a passing
familiarity with karaoke from an episode he directed
for Homicide: Life on the Street. He knew it could be
the perfect backdrop for this character-driven story.
And Paltrow had been looking for an opportunity to
work with his daughter, who stars in the movie.
Her dad says that Gwyneth — the buzz is she's
got a singing voice to match her acting talents — is
perfect in the role of Liv, a third-generation Las
Vegas showgirl whose mother's untimely death
brings about an unexpected reunion with her long-
lost father.
Says the actress, "When I first read the script, I
thought it was very clever and unique. The world of
karaoke is a really interesting subculture, and it's one
that hasn't been explored yet in a cinematic context.
"I see Liv as a very sweet, kind of underdeveloped
person."
Huey Lewis (of Huey Lewis & The News) plays
Paltrow's estranged father and a seasoned karaoke
hustler. He and his daughter form a bond when he
agrees to take her on the road with him, working the
karaoke circuit.
The film's other main characters, whose lives
intertwine as they search for the meaning of life
amid a $5,000 grand prize karaoke contest in
Omaha, Neb., are played Maria Bello, Andre
Baugher, Paul Giamatti and Scott Speedman.
Says Bruce Paltrow of the courageous karaoke
contestants, "I think all of us in some way have been
socially engineered to conform to an ideal. To shake
off those expectations and pursue something off the
beaten track — that's bravery."
The Jewish News caught up with Gwyneth
Paltrow recehtly and asked her about her own
philosophies on life, love, religion, values and family.

Philip Berk is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.

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Gwyneth Paltrow and
dad. But when you're hurt, the only
JN: The Jewish press has said some
Huey Lewis in "Duets."
thing you can do is wait it out. Do pro-
nasty things about you. When you
In the film, Lewis
ductive things, keep yourself busy, exer-
told Steven Spielberg you were dating
plays
Paltrow'sather,
a
cise and try to take care of yourself.
a nice Jewish boy (Madonna's produc-
seasoned
karaoke
hustler.
Time
is the best cure."
er Gary Oseary), you were ridiculed.
The Jerusalem Post thought it sacrile-
JN: Why did you become a brunette for awhile?
gious that you joined Madonna at a Passover seder
GP: "It was for Bounce (due out in October). The
— despite the fact that you proudly reveal that on
director, Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex), wanted it. I
your father's side you come from a long line of rab-
think he was tired of the blonde Gwyneth Paltrow,
bis (33 in all). Your brother celebrated his bar mitz-
and I was tired of her too, so I retired her for a while.
vah, and when your zayde was alive, you called him
every week. When you got emotional about his ill-
JN: Did it help?
ness at the Academy Awards, you were roundly
GP: "It made my life a little bit easier. I could walk
criticized. Shortly thereafter, he died. So how do
around New York without getting recognized, hop on
you deal with all this negativity?
and off the subway without anybody knowing who I
GP:I try to ignore it by surrounding myself with
was, and that was a really fun aspect.
friends who don't come up to me, and say, "Hey
there's something really mean about you in the New
JN: Do you sometimes wish you weren't Gwyneth
York Post today." Obviously there are people out there
Paltrow, movie star?
who resent you, but it's like out of my hands. I can't
GP: I try not to think too much about alternative lives
change them. All I can do is my work, the best job
because this is where I am, this is where God wants
I'm capable of, and forget the rest."
me. So instead of thinking, "God I wish I could do
this," I just accept who I am and the things that come
JN: Is there someone you can turn to?
along with it. And I feel incredibly fortunate.
GP: "My best friend, Mary, or my mom and my