Move beyond the lame title, and you'll find an unexpectedly good movie, with the inspired casting of Drew Berry and Hugh Grant possessing the necessary chemistry to lift this rote, manufactured story into something appealing.
Music and Lyrics (2007)
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Reviews Counted: 158
Fresh: 99
Rotten:59
Average Rating: 6/10
Consensus: Music & Lyrics is a light and pleasant romantic comedy that succeeds because of the considerable charm of its co-stars. The music segments featuring Hugh Grant are worth the price of admission.
Theatrical Release: Feb 14, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $50,514,047
Synopsis: Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a cynical and self-deprecating former pop idol (the hilarious opening video introduces his '80s new wave band Pop!) who is now playing the nostalgia circuit, but has maintained enough dignity to turn down an... Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a cynical and self-deprecating former pop idol (the hilarious opening video introduces his '80s new wave band Pop!) who is now playing the nostalgia circuit, but has maintained enough dignity to turn down an appearance on a "Battle of the '80s Has-Beens" TV reality show. Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) is a gifted writer with deep inferiority issues who's been hired to water Fletcher's plants, and ends up becoming his emergency fill-in lyricist for a song he needs to deliver to teen queen singer Cora (Haley Bennett) in four days. Despite this contrived "cute meet," the film, to its great credit, deftly avoids many possible rom-com tropes in favor of organic, character-driven conflicts and comic situations. Alex and Sophie fall in love, struggle over their song, and wrestle with their own respective resistance to romantic happiness, while simultaneously coping with the frustrations of the creative process and the demands of the music industry. The two leads (aided by great comic sidekick turns from Brad Garrett and Kristen Johnston) manage to pull all this off with a lightness of touch that makes the characters' vulnerability appealing and not pathetic. The original songs by Adam Schlesinger (the go-to guy for singer-songwriter film music) is charming and catchy. [More]
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant, Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant, Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston, Campbell Scott, Hayley Bennett, Zak Orth, Brooke Tansley
Director: Marc Lawrence
Director: Marc Lawrence
Producer: Mark Lawrence
Studio: Warner Bros.
Get This Movie
Release:
May 8, 2007
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
- Subtitles - English, French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
- Additional Footage
- Behind the Scenes - 1. "Note for Note": The Making of Music and Lyrics
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Music Video - "Pop Goes My Heart"
Reviews for Music and Lyrics
Far too little originality ... to make the film anything other than a disposable rom-com triviality.
Hugh Grant is a genius at romantic comedy. He has just the right blend of good looks, sex appeal, wit, sensitivity, self-awareness, and even more endearing, self-mockery.
"Music and Lyrics" argues that pop songs are poetry, and in the tradition of Walt Whitman, the film proceeds to celebrate itself.
Una comedia romántica realmente menor y predecible, con alguna ironía sobre la música pop de los años '80 (y la de ahora).
... this is a movie that will lose nothing when you rent it from Netflix a few months from now.
Good-natured, melodic and sweet as can be, "Music and Lyrics" is like listening to your favorite '80s compilation: It just plain makes you feel good.
Embora nada original, o roteiro é suficientemente divertido e explora muito bem as mais do que estabelecidas personas da dupla principal: o jeitão desajeitado e auto-crítico de Grant e a insegurança engraçadinha de Barrymore.
Music and Lyrics is a nice, light, bright romantic comedy -- a demonstration of the best and the worst of modern romantic comedy in action, in fact. ...
Despite a copout ending that dumbs down the film's previous wit-filled 90 minutes, few mainstream audiences will be able to resist its charms.
This movie has more witty lines in any 10 minute clip than most comedies have in the entire film.
Music and Lyrics is not the most original or ambitious movie I've ever seen. However, Barrymore is well-paired with Grant in a story that is smarter than you might think. It's just all-around good fun.
Like a catchy pop song you can't stop humming, the sublime romantic melody of Music and Lyrics puts a smile on your face and love in your heart.
This is Barrymore's burden, that she consistently resists generic business even as she makes it tolerable. The next step is to challenge the business outright.
Witty, playful, charming and satisfying -- an unpretentious confection that's just right and a little bit more.
...when this movie gets a moment right, it nails it. It's now you tolerate/notice the rest that will affect your experience.
Barrymore ... and Grant are both charming here, and yet there's no chemistry between them at all.
The song [Pop! Goes My Heart] is a lot of fun, but ends up being the only memorable thing in a middling rom-com that needed a wittier script.
Latest News for Music and Lyrics
June 05, 2007:
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April 28, 2007:
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