Hugh Grant can sing! Who knew?by CardinalBiggles

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March 01, 2009: Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is the has-been "other guy" from a defunct 80s pop band named (appropriately) PoP!. Whereas his bandmate Colin has gone on to stardom, riches, and a knighthood, Alex blissfully wanders through a 'nostalgia' career consisting of performances at high school reunions, state fairs, and theme parks. Even that's starting to dry up, though, so Alex jumps at the chance to write a new song for slinky teenage pop tart Cora Corman (Haley Bennett). There's only two catches: he has to write the song in three days, and it was always Colin who wrote the lyrics to their songs.

In walks Sophie Fletcher (Drew Barrymore), Alex's quirky substitute plant-waterer, who amazingly possesses the ability to spit out catchy lyrics at the drop of a hat. After much cajoling, Alex convinces Sophie to help him write the song, and so begins a process of stepping in each other's comfort zones as they race to finish the song on time. Of course, along the way they fall in love, though neither wants to admit it.

Grant plays the usual charming, self-effacing nice guy we're accustomed to. Surprisingly, for a has-been pop star, he's not all that sleazy, but if Alex were, it would be that much harder to believe the attraction between him and the somewhat naive 31-year-old schoolgirl Barrymore plays. "Everybody Loves Raymond"'s Brad Garrett deadpans his way through the role of Chris, Alex's manager, while "Third Rock"'s Kristen Johnston is a scene-stealer as Sophie's effusive older sister, who still harbors a teenaged crush for Alex.

But it's the songs that elevate "Music and Lyrics" from standard romantic comedy fare into something worth multiple viewings. Eight full-length songs were written just for the movie, and while six of them are parodies of either 80s or current pop songs, they were all written to stand on their own. Even more impressive is that Hugh Grant does his own singing, and he's pretty darn good. Not that I'd pay for a CD of original Hugh Grant songs, or pay to see him in concert, but for the purposes of this film, he was really good. (It also kind of makes me wish the producers of "Mamma Mia!" had kept looking when casting about for the role of Sam...)

This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.

I Also Recommend: Notting Hill, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral.

good funby Anonymous

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July 24, 2008: I love movies featuring clever banter and this filled the bill. Hugh and Drew go together like music and lyrics. I appreciated that the characters were actually kind people (what a concept!). The writing was smart and funny. I laughed out loud more than a few times. Highly recommended if you need a lift.

This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.