June 6 Paul Giamatti

Happy Birthday Harvey Fierstein & Paul Giamatti.

To celebrate Paul Giamatti’s birthday I watched Duets. Paul plays a business man who travels so much he doesn’t know what city he is in. He goes to a meeting in Texas and the meeting is Florida. When he gets home his wife and children hardly acknowledge his existence. He goes out for cigarettes. He doesn’t smoke. He goes into a hotel to use his miles and he there are no rooms with points available. He goes into the bar and sees a woman singing. After she sings he tells her how good she sang and she explains karaoke. He states that he was in mental jail. He hesitates but after a pill and a kiss he goes onstage and sings. He does well and is happy. He is wearing his suit and tie with a conservative flat hair cut. The next time we see him his speeding along a desert highway driving all over the road with an earring and looser hair style, jacket and tie gone. He stops to pick up hitch hiker Andre Braugher. They go to stop at a bar and sing karaoke. They win the contest and can go to Omaha for the big contest. Paul gives Andre driving lessons since he can’t drive and Andre is uncomfortable with stoned Paul. Paul finds a gun in the car. They stop for the night and Paul tries to use his points. The points expired the day before. He pulls a gun an aims it at the man. Andre tries to talk the gun away. Paul fires at the wall, the couch and centerpiece. Andre drags Paul out. They stop for gas and Paul stoned puts on a face mask and sunglasses and pulls the gun on the clerk. Andre asleep in the car wakes up to shooting. He goes in the store and tries to get the gun away from Paul. As Paul is distracted the clerk goes over and gets his gun. There are more shots fired. The next scene is of them driving. Andre sees the picture of the family and at a gas station he calls Paul’s wife to meet them in Omaha. They meet but he goes on and she leaves. He once again tries to use his points at the hotel, but there is no room available.

At the contest Andre sings with no music and dedicates the song to his friend who taught him how to drive. As he sings it is dead quiet and the police come in. After he sings he pulls a gun and aims at the police who shoot him. Andre’s last breath tells Paul “go home”. After everyone has left he sits alone and his wife comes in. She gives him a pack of cigarettes. He states he can’t go back to his old life, that he is different. He sings to her. As he and his wife are at a plane ticketing agent he asks if he can use his points and he is told yes they take the points.

I remember when the film me out and it didn’t seem very interesting to me. I really enjoyed the story. The singing was ok. There were a few surprises in the karaoke contest. There were a lot of long shots. When Paul was in the wrong meeting the camera follows him all around the room and back. When Paul is home the camera follows him in the door, to see his family, up the stairs around the bedroom, with very little cutting or close ups.

Paul has a very challenging role. He is staid, ordinary, happy, stoned, confused, frustrated, indifferent, angry and lost. I feel like he has been around forever. I didn’t originally have anything scheduled today, a 2nd day in a row. I found new site and Paul and Harvey were listed. Paul is a year younger than I, which I couldn’t believe. I feel so much younger than I am. Paul is also featured in The Hangover Part II. He is very good in his small role.