Music and Lyrics
Music and Lyrics ***
Directed by Marc Lawrence
Written by Marc Lawrence
Starring:
Hugh Grant as Alex Fletcher
Drew Barrymore as Sophie Fisher
Brad Garrett as Chris Riley
Haley Bennett as Cora Corman
Kristen Johnston as Rhonda Fisher
Campbell Scott as Sloan Gates
104 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.)
---------------------------
"Music and Lyrics" is, by definition, a "cute" movie. It is a tolerable romantic comedy, with many funny moments, but at the core it is really just Hugh Grant being Hugh Grant in every single Hugh Grant movie in the last twenty years, romantic comedy cliche scenes, and an ending that is so extraordinarily Hollywood that I'm surprised it wasn't just stock footage. But it is a decent and entertaining little flick, and one that doesn't torture the viewer. It doesn't seem like I've been battered over the head with the same old thing, and it is quite an enjoyable ride. "Music and Lyrics" seems to have been created just for the Valentine season. It is the only real reason why it is out. There is no way that Marc Lawrence sat down to write a groundbreaking new screenplay about a couple falling in love, and he hasn't. But he's created an enjoyable date movie, one that is "cute" without being impossible to watch, and a comedy that is almost to the point of being satire. This is a perfectly fine effort, and a better Valentine's treat than "Daddy's Little Girls."
"Music and Lyrics" begins with a bang-a mock music video with Hugh Grant in complete 80's garb-complete with hair style, leather pants, and pink visuals. It turns out that he is Alex Fletcher, the second most popular singer in the 80's band POP! which was extremely popular before the lead singer left them and took the remaining songs to create a solo album. Now Alex is on his own, living from lady to lady, trying to perform wherever he can to pay the rent. And he gets tiny gigs at amusement parks, class reunions, etc. And then he is hired by the biggest pop sensation in America, Cora, who wants Alex to write a hit song for her in a week. She has a title in mind, and the rest is up to Alex. Writing lyrics had never been a strong point for Alex, but he can write a damn good melody. And he is in luck when he meets Sophie, the woman watering his plants for a few days while is regular plant lady is away. Sophie can write a great lyric, and really quick, so Alex enlists her help in writing the song for Cora. And so it begins, as Alex and Sophie begin to write the pop song for Cora, and at the same time beginning to fall in love.
It's obvious how this story will end, unless this is your first movie ever. There is no surprise in the story of "Music and Lyrics," but there are some surprises in entertainment. Some of the jokes on 80's music were actually very funny, and not just the video at the start. There is also what has become of Alex-and he's in the running for a spot on "Battle of the 80's Has-Beens," where a bunch of former 80's pop stars all get into a boxing ring for the chance to sing a song. This includes Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Tiffany. And Alex's trademark hip thrust, and the fact that he still does it when he is forty, is amusing and somewhat witty. Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant are off doing their Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. Barrymore is on her full "paranoid and cutesy" best, and Hugh Grant doesn't stop the witticisms and constant one liners. Grant has been doing this type of role for so long that I wonder if he is able to just aid-lib a little bit on some of the lines. Not all of it can be in the script, unless Grant was in mind for the role. Oh wait. . . Grant is in mind for every role like this ever created-he just can't manage to do them all. Supporting characters like Kristen Johnson(from the great "3rd Rock from the Sun") as Sophie's sister who holds a teenage crush on Alex for years are never not funny, and a welcome addition to the main story. Johnson was so excellent on "3rd Rock from the Sun" that she is pretty much a welcome addition to anything she's in. Brad Garrett as Alex's manager is decent, but I'm not a huge fan, and Campbell Scott irritates me in every single movie he's in, and this one is no exception. At least he's supposed to be irritating here.
My only real problem with "Music and Lyrics" is the final ten minutes or so. It's after the usual scene for the fledgling couple has an argument that could risk their entire relationship, and it's when the man decides that he must get the woman he loves back. It's extremely Hollywood, and typical of something like this, but I had a little more faith in this one. I was hoping for a more "50 First Dates" ending, where everything ends up alright but it's done in a way that wasn't your standard resolution. "Music and Lyrics" is cute, predictable fluff, but what makes this one different from the other romantic comedies around is that this one is somewhat entertaining, and not a chore to watch. And once again, it's worth seeing for the opening three minutes alone. So sad, and yet so true. . .
Directed by Marc Lawrence
Written by Marc Lawrence
Starring:
Hugh Grant as Alex Fletcher
Drew Barrymore as Sophie Fisher
Brad Garrett as Chris Riley
Haley Bennett as Cora Corman
Kristen Johnston as Rhonda Fisher
Campbell Scott as Sloan Gates
104 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.)
---------------------------
"Music and Lyrics" is, by definition, a "cute" movie. It is a tolerable romantic comedy, with many funny moments, but at the core it is really just Hugh Grant being Hugh Grant in every single Hugh Grant movie in the last twenty years, romantic comedy cliche scenes, and an ending that is so extraordinarily Hollywood that I'm surprised it wasn't just stock footage. But it is a decent and entertaining little flick, and one that doesn't torture the viewer. It doesn't seem like I've been battered over the head with the same old thing, and it is quite an enjoyable ride. "Music and Lyrics" seems to have been created just for the Valentine season. It is the only real reason why it is out. There is no way that Marc Lawrence sat down to write a groundbreaking new screenplay about a couple falling in love, and he hasn't. But he's created an enjoyable date movie, one that is "cute" without being impossible to watch, and a comedy that is almost to the point of being satire. This is a perfectly fine effort, and a better Valentine's treat than "Daddy's Little Girls."
"Music and Lyrics" begins with a bang-a mock music video with Hugh Grant in complete 80's garb-complete with hair style, leather pants, and pink visuals. It turns out that he is Alex Fletcher, the second most popular singer in the 80's band POP! which was extremely popular before the lead singer left them and took the remaining songs to create a solo album. Now Alex is on his own, living from lady to lady, trying to perform wherever he can to pay the rent. And he gets tiny gigs at amusement parks, class reunions, etc. And then he is hired by the biggest pop sensation in America, Cora, who wants Alex to write a hit song for her in a week. She has a title in mind, and the rest is up to Alex. Writing lyrics had never been a strong point for Alex, but he can write a damn good melody. And he is in luck when he meets Sophie, the woman watering his plants for a few days while is regular plant lady is away. Sophie can write a great lyric, and really quick, so Alex enlists her help in writing the song for Cora. And so it begins, as Alex and Sophie begin to write the pop song for Cora, and at the same time beginning to fall in love.
It's obvious how this story will end, unless this is your first movie ever. There is no surprise in the story of "Music and Lyrics," but there are some surprises in entertainment. Some of the jokes on 80's music were actually very funny, and not just the video at the start. There is also what has become of Alex-and he's in the running for a spot on "Battle of the 80's Has-Beens," where a bunch of former 80's pop stars all get into a boxing ring for the chance to sing a song. This includes Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Tiffany. And Alex's trademark hip thrust, and the fact that he still does it when he is forty, is amusing and somewhat witty. Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant are off doing their Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. Barrymore is on her full "paranoid and cutesy" best, and Hugh Grant doesn't stop the witticisms and constant one liners. Grant has been doing this type of role for so long that I wonder if he is able to just aid-lib a little bit on some of the lines. Not all of it can be in the script, unless Grant was in mind for the role. Oh wait. . . Grant is in mind for every role like this ever created-he just can't manage to do them all. Supporting characters like Kristen Johnson(from the great "3rd Rock from the Sun") as Sophie's sister who holds a teenage crush on Alex for years are never not funny, and a welcome addition to the main story. Johnson was so excellent on "3rd Rock from the Sun" that she is pretty much a welcome addition to anything she's in. Brad Garrett as Alex's manager is decent, but I'm not a huge fan, and Campbell Scott irritates me in every single movie he's in, and this one is no exception. At least he's supposed to be irritating here.
My only real problem with "Music and Lyrics" is the final ten minutes or so. It's after the usual scene for the fledgling couple has an argument that could risk their entire relationship, and it's when the man decides that he must get the woman he loves back. It's extremely Hollywood, and typical of something like this, but I had a little more faith in this one. I was hoping for a more "50 First Dates" ending, where everything ends up alright but it's done in a way that wasn't your standard resolution. "Music and Lyrics" is cute, predictable fluff, but what makes this one different from the other romantic comedies around is that this one is somewhat entertaining, and not a chore to watch. And once again, it's worth seeing for the opening three minutes alone. So sad, and yet so true. . .
posted by Eric at
7:49 PM
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