Music and Lyrics is a light, charming romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. The 2007 film was directed and written by Marc Lawrence, the director of Two Weeks Notice and the writer of the two Miss Congeniality films. Lawrence also wrote a good portion of the music for Music and Lyrics. The film did well in the U.K., topping the box office upon its release. In the North American box office, by contrast, Music and Lyrics opened fourth at the box office on the same weekend. The film received rather mixed reviews from critics.
Music and Lyrics stars Hugh Grant as Alex Fletcher, a former pop star. He had considerable fame during the 80s and 90s, but is now somewhat of a sideshow act as he performs at amusement parks and during campy 80s reunion sets. Fletcher, unlike a lot of former pop stars, actually acknowledges himself as a “has-been,” which makes for an interesting character twist. Grant’s Fletcher could have easily been portrayed as a jealous and strung out pop star, but instead he’s rather well-adjusted to the passing of his fame. Fletcher, instead, seems to have fun with his new role and pokes fun at his former self, sometimes slipping away into pride but, for the most part, relatively enjoying his life.
Anyways, Fletcher is soon dispatched by the new, fresh pop star of the moment, Cora (Haley Bennet). We are told that Cora is “bigger than Britney and Christina combined” and that she wants to work with a former pop star to put out a duet. Cora had always been a huge fan of Fletcher’s former work, so she picks him to write a song for her. He obliges, but struggles with the lyric writing process until a young woman tending to his plants, Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), helps him out. A romance develops between Fletcher and Fisher and the two become a songwriting duo, putting out the perfect song for Cora and getting into the usual romantic pratfalls along the way.
Music and Lyrics is a decent film that has some nice comic moments, most of which are wrapped up in the satire of the pop industry and the Cora character. She writhes around and fiddles with Eastern religion like a confused teenager, yet demonstrates an alleged raw intensity and sexuality like a veteran pop star. This enigma, a commonality in the pop industry, plays out with great humour on film and guides Music and Lyrics beyond the point of normative romantic comedy. The supporting characters are also good here, including Fletcher’s manager (Brad Garrett).
Another thing that makes Music and Lyrics work is the notion that Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore actually sang the songs in the film. Grant was coached by Martin Fry, lead singer of ABC. The songs performed by the duo were, for the most part, written by Adam Schlesinger. Schlesinger wrote the popular title track for the film That Thing You Do!, as well as other tracks from that film. The song “Dance With Me Tonight” from Music and Lyrics was written by Clyde Lawrence, director Marc Lawrence’s 13-year-old son. This legitimacy to the music gives the film a nice feel and helps bolster the actual music (and lyrics) to another level. The songs are poppy, catchy, and purposefully cheesy in many moments, building on the theme successfully.
Music and Lyrics gets a passing grade because of its ability to mock itself and turn out a fluffy, bouncy little film that contains enough song and sass to please most fans of the romantic comedy genre. It’s light and airy throughout, containing no problematic or awkward attempts at steaminess and, instead, relying on the gentle spirit and chemistry of its lead characters to carry a rather simple and happy little plot through to its conclusion. The romantic moments are sweet and sappy and the comedy is on point. For that reason, Music and Lyrics can be recommended.
7/10
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