Music and Lyrics
Tuesday, 13 Feb 2007 16:10
Drew Barrymore charms Hugh Grant in Music & Lyrics
Directed by Marc Lawrence, out February 9th, starring Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Haley Bennett, Kristen Johnston, Brad Garrett, running time 105 minutes
In a nutshell…
Gawky, charming, silly, implausible, fun.
What's it all about?
Washed-up 1980s pop star Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) gets the chance to revive his career when Cora, a current chart-topper, asks him to write a song for her. Into the picture steps eccentric plant-watering lady Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) who just happens to be a whiz with words. Two days, lots of artistic pen-clicking and a bit of (unseen) under-the-piano sex later, the pair have established a bit more than a musical partnership.
Who's in it?
A sleeker, more sarcastic Hugh Grant, who plays down the bumbling English gent and dons his tight jeans as Alex Fletcher in order to woo menopausal reunion-goers, who breathlessly watch endless renditions of his Wham!-alike hit, Pop Goes My Heart.
Drew Barrymore, everyone's favourite girl-next-door, kooks it up as the ditzy but clever Sophie Fisher, agreeing to help Alex out in his quest to regain his status while grappling with her own "clouds".
Other notable characters include Sophie's overbearing older sister Rhonda, played by Kristen Johnston, who does a great job drooling and squawking over Alex, as well as Alex's long-suffering manager (Brad Garrett) and Sophie's conniving ex-lover Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott).
Haley Bennett plays the po-faced, faux-spiritual teen idol Cora, who resembles Britney Spears borrowing Shakira's dance moves.
As an example…
Alex: (singing) Sleeping with a clown above my bed…(speaking) clown is not right.
Sophie: That's "cloud". Why would you put a clown in your bed?
Alex: It would not be the first time.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
Not in the least bit likely - but this film knows exactly where it stands and works well on the light-hearted level of cheese that it celebrates.
What the others say
"Opening with a note-perfect pastiche of an Eighties pop video, Music and Lyrics is too glib to be a hit single, but it's a feel-good, frothy B-side." The Independent on Sunday
"Lawrence bestows Grant with plenty of witty one-liners (and some not so witty), but wry charm becomes smarmy self-satisfaction with a leading man who is actually quite happy to sell his soul to a Buddhist Britney clone." The BBC
So is it any good?
True romantic comedies don't try to portray any depth or discovery. Hence, it would be ill-advised for a critic to approach Music and Lyrics with the hope of finding either of the above.
But why demand depth when the film in question has as much down-to-earth humour, gawky charm and gentle criticism of the modern music business as anyone could need within an hour and a half?
The image of Hughie thrusting those skinny hips while sporting a ridiculous 1980s mullet is somewhat unforgettable, while Barrymore lives up to her dimply image as the industry's best romantic comedy actress.
Sophie's hang-ups over her writer ex-boyfriend, who wrote a libellous book based on her, add an extra tension to the storyline - without complicating it - ultimately leading to some dubious dress-swapping and some semi-entertaining fisticuffs in a posh restaurant.
Like all pleasurable romantic comedies, Music and Lyrics is implausible, forgettable and clumsy - but with more chuckle-inducing warmth and soppy self-awareness than most, it contains all the essential ingredients to warm the cockles on a cold Saturday night.
7/10
Kate Horstead
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