The big downside of the film is that it always feels slightly contrived.

A highly likable movie.

An intermittently irresistible entertainment.

Has little islands of humor and even perfection, floating in a sea of missed marks and murky intentions.

A mixed bag, all in all (casting Huey Lewis was not the best idea), but worth seeing.

Every so often a movie comes along that's bad in such original and unexpected ways that it inspires an almost admiring fascination

If scriptwriter Byrum hadn't tried to cram every possible theme into this film -- hoping, no doubt, they would all add up to greatness -- Duets would be an entertaining, wryly observed slice of Americana.

Duets is to movies what karaoke is to pop: a spirited attempt by non-pros.

Appealing, and ultimately moving.

A simple entertainment that's by and large carried on the backs of its actors, some who are wonderful and others who are merely likable.

The joys of singing give the movie a hook, but when Duets aims for lyricism, it's got a tin ear.

Lack of much substance or dramatic payoff makes the whole significantly less than sum of its parts.

Too crisp and calculated to match the moods of its wild and woolly characters, and its interwoven subplots lead to predictable outcomes.

Simply creaks with contrivance -- particularly in its overwrought finale.