Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore make sweet music together in “”Music and Lyrics,”” a movie that plays on the world of pop music.
The movie is funny, not only for its wit but also for its strong characters and parody scenes. Together, Grant and Barrymore create a chemistry made for big-screen comedies.
The story begins as Alex Fletcher (Grant) is asked to write a song for pop princess Cora (Haley Bennett). Fletcher, a former star from the 1980s band Pop, can’t find the inspiration to write the song until he meets Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who waters his plants.
While Fletcher is trying to come up with the lyrics, Fisher makes them up and Fletcher is amazed. Soon, Fletcher and Fisher become a lyrical dream team, creating a song Cora is ecstatic about. And, of course, Fletcher and Fisher fall in love.
Barrymore’s character is clumsy but realistic at the same time. Every time she pours something, she seems to overfill it and spill the liquid everywhere, especially on plant pots and coffee mugs. She’s also a hopeless romantic, trying to love herself as well as find love with men.
Fletcher, on the other hand, is a “”been there, done that”” kind of guy. He’s getting older and needs another hit to catapult him into his adult stage of music. He knows the rules of the music industry, not having any problems with selling out to create a hit.
Both Grant and Barrymore are believable as characters.
“”Music and Lyrics””
Rating: PG-13
Length: 60 min.
Production Company: Warner Bros.
When they’re working together to write lyrics, the audience sees the magic of songwriting and its intimate allure. The melodies are still imprinted in my head.
The best part about this comedy, though, is the social commentary on pop music and Hollywood showbiz. Cora is an interesting yet believable hybrid of Shakira, Britney Spears and Madonna. She tries to incorporate many cultural elements in her music, but ends up massacring them. She dances in a scantily clad swimsuit after coming out of a giant revolving Buddha. She insists on doing belly dances and crawling on the floor before every music number. Her slightly exaggerated persona is a parody of pop divas and their overdramatic antics.
Most of us don’t realize this until we see it on the big screen. Fisher even tells Cora at one point that she doesn’t know how Cora manages to murder two different cultures in under a minute, which gave me tears of laughter.
Fisher’s sister, Rhonda (Kristen Johnston), also brings laughs every time she’s on the screen. Johnston’s usually cast as the crazy, unique girl-next-door, and in this movie, Rhonda is a fan of Fletcher and his old band. This leads to some funny situations where Rhonda throws herself at Fletcher for his attention.
Seriousness aside, “”Music and Lyrics”” is a genuinely good romantic comedy that is a note or two above the rest.