PALTROW, LEWIS DUET HITS THE WRONG NOTES.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

``Duets'' revolves around karaoke singing, which, in itself, should have been enough to keep this movie from ever being made. Who still goes to karaoke bars? You might as well make a film about, say, the joys of line dancing or break dancing or, hell, even the Charleston, and the central plot device would have about the same relevance. Twenty-three skidoo, anyone?

But with a talented cast headed by Gwyneth Paltrow, Andre Braugher and, yes, even Huey Lewis, ``Duets'' could have made for some eminently watchable entertainment. The movie's fundamental problem is its script, which is full of plot contrivances and unbelievable behavior. It proves the old musical maxim: A singer is only as good as his material. And in this case, not even an Oscar winner like Paltrow can overcome a screenplay so full of sour notes.

The film revolves around three different twosomes heading to Omaha, Neb., for a karaoke singing contest. First prize: $5,000. (Wouldn't these people be better served by trying to become a contestant on ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire''?) Lewis is Ricky Dean, a karaoke hustler, who cons hayseeds into thinking he doesn't know how to sing and then wows everyone with soulful versions of chestnuts like ``Lonely Teardrops.''

Ricky hooks up with Liv (Paltrow); their connection is one of the movie's surprises, so we won't spoil it. Ricky is pretty set in his loner ways until he hears Liv sing ``Bette Davis Eyes'' and then he's forced to reconsider his position. Paltrow's voice is surprisingly good; her singing (and Lewis' as well) is the movie's biggest selling point.

Meanwhile, a long-suffering salesman, Todd (Paul Giamatti), blows his stack after his wife and kids barely recognize him when he returns from a trip. Declaring himself to be ``just a little tired of the American dream,'' Todd discovers uppers and karaoke and teams up with a philosophical, gun-wielding ex-con, Reggie (Andre Braugher), on a cross- country bender.

The third (and least interesting coupling) involves a jilted cab driver (Scott Speedman, in a part that Brad Pitt was to play before he broke up with Paltrow) who takes a bitchy small-town girl (Maria Bello, who doesn't come close to having Paltrow's pipes) across the country so she can pursue her pipe dream of becoming a recording star.

Naturally, everyone ends up in Omaha, ripe for the big contest and various emotional breakthroughs, most of which are thoroughly unconvincing. Giamatti has most of the best lines as the fed-up corporate cog, but you never believe a minute of his relationship with Braugher's redemption-seeking ex-con. (Braugher left ``Homicide'' for this?)

Director Bruce Paltrow, best-known for his work on ``St. Elsewhere'' (and for being Gwyneth's dad), shows his talent for working with actors, but he should have devoted a little more time to fixing John Byrum's script. As it is, ``Duets'' is music to nobody's ears.

``DUETS''

(Rated R; violence, language and a sex scene).

The stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Maria Bello, Andre Braugher, Paul Giamatti, Huey Lewis, Scott Speedman. Behind the scenes: Directed by Bruce Paltrow. Screenplay by John Byrum. Running time: One hour, 52 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Two stars.

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Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Liv, an innocent Las Vegas showgirl who discovers an extraordinary connection to seasoned karaoke hustler Ricky, played by Huey Lewis, in ``Duets.''