Music and Lyrics (2007)

Director: Marc Lawrence

Starring: Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Scott Porter

A washed up singer is given a couple days to compose a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen sensation. Though he’s never written a decent lyric in his life, he sparks with an offbeat younger woman with a flair for words.

Although nothing here is believable, ‘Music and Lyrics’ nevertheless is a charming, cheesy, romantic comedy that put a smile on my face.

Hugh Grant stars as Alex Fletcher, who was a member of the successful 80’s band, PoP. (I just loved their creation of the 80s music video for ‘Pop! Goes my heart’. Nostalgia abound, it was done to perfection, reminiscing 80s music videos.) Now a has-been, Alex only gets small gigs and still performs the PoP hits. His manager, Chris (Brad Garrett) approaches him with an offer to write a song for teen superstar Cora (Haley Bennett). This is where it pushed the boundaries of believability. Alex hasn’t written new material in over a decade, so why would Cora ask him to write a song for her? Successful artists usually have their own team of songwriters…

But, ok, let’s not over-analyze. This is comedy entertainment after all. So, unable to come up with lyrics, he asks his plant lady, Sophie (Drew Barrymore) to help when he realizes she has a knack for writing lyrics. They only have 48 hours to deliver the song, so they are frantically working on lyrics, melody, and recording, and getting close together in the process – the film’s romantic element, off course. Being a romantic comedy, it is predictable, but it sure was a lot of fun. I absolutely loved Kristen Johnston as Sophie’s sister, Rhonda, who has a crush on Alex. Hugh Grant is a natural at comedy, and a delight to watch.

I’m not a big fan of romantic comedies, but there are a few exceptions, and ‘Music and Lyrics’ is one of them. A guilty pleasure, if you like!

‘Music and Lyrics’ was a box office success, earning nearly $146 million on a $40 million budget.