Scan and Pan
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Music and Lyrics
Alex Fletcher is a former member of the '80s band Pop! who now makes a living playing at state fairs, amusement parks, and high school reunions. When given the opportunity to write a song for teenage pop diva Cora and perform it with her, he jumps at another chance for fame and fortune. The first lyricist he collaborates with doesn't work out and he only has days left to complete the song when he discovers that Sophie, the woman who takes care of his house plants, has a knack for writing lyrics. A partnership is born and romantic sparks fly as well.
Writer/director Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality) serves up a sweet confection of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. It may hit all the expected story beats exactly on cue, but its engaging characters and clever dialogue shamelessly pull you into its embrace. It's refreshing to see a film that knows it's light and doesn't pretend to be something more. It's also an affectionate homage to the music of the 1980s. Lawrence opens with a Pop! music video and perfectly spoofs the actual music videos of that period. Cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet (Monster House, Nacho Libre) gives the film the bright look of a classic romantic comedy. And just try to get the catchy pop songs written by Adam Schlesinger (bass player for the band Fountains Of Wayne) out of your head!
Hugh Grant is effortlessly funny and ingratiating as Alex, the kind of leading man role he does so well, and he's convincing as an ex-pop star performing on the nostalgia circuit. Drew Barrymore is absolutely charming as the ditzy Sophie. The two romantic comedy veterans make a good and believable on-screen couple. They also do all of their own singing (Grant was coached by ABC singer Martin Fry) and come off quite well in that department. The cast in general shines, with Haley Bennett as the vapid pop princess Cora, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alex's manager, Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) as Sophie's Pop! fan older sister, Campbell Scott as Sophie's ex, and Jason Antoon as Alex's initial lyricist. Scott Porter only appears in the music video segment as the other half of Pop! but he's spot on.
If you're looking for a pleasant piece of Valentine's Day schmaltz with catchy songs, look no further than Music and Lyrics. It may not be the fancy champagne of the romantic comedy world, but there's enough sparkle in it for an enjoyable hour and a half.
A lightweight but enjoyable romantic comedy just in time for Valentine's Day.
Alex Fletcher is a former member of the '80s band Pop! who now makes a living playing at state fairs, amusement parks, and high school reunions. When given the opportunity to write a song for teenage pop diva Cora and perform it with her, he jumps at another chance for fame and fortune. The first lyricist he collaborates with doesn't work out and he only has days left to complete the song when he discovers that Sophie, the woman who takes care of his house plants, has a knack for writing lyrics. A partnership is born and romantic sparks fly as well.
Writer/director Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality) serves up a sweet confection of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. It may hit all the expected story beats exactly on cue, but its engaging characters and clever dialogue shamelessly pull you into its embrace. It's refreshing to see a film that knows it's light and doesn't pretend to be something more. It's also an affectionate homage to the music of the 1980s. Lawrence opens with a Pop! music video and perfectly spoofs the actual music videos of that period. Cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet (Monster House, Nacho Libre) gives the film the bright look of a classic romantic comedy. And just try to get the catchy pop songs written by Adam Schlesinger (bass player for the band Fountains Of Wayne) out of your head!
Hugh Grant is effortlessly funny and ingratiating as Alex, the kind of leading man role he does so well, and he's convincing as an ex-pop star performing on the nostalgia circuit. Drew Barrymore is absolutely charming as the ditzy Sophie. The two romantic comedy veterans make a good and believable on-screen couple. They also do all of their own singing (Grant was coached by ABC singer Martin Fry) and come off quite well in that department. The cast in general shines, with Haley Bennett as the vapid pop princess Cora, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alex's manager, Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) as Sophie's Pop! fan older sister, Campbell Scott as Sophie's ex, and Jason Antoon as Alex's initial lyricist. Scott Porter only appears in the music video segment as the other half of Pop! but he's spot on.
If you're looking for a pleasant piece of Valentine's Day schmaltz with catchy songs, look no further than Music and Lyrics. It may not be the fancy champagne of the romantic comedy world, but there's enough sparkle in it for an enjoyable hour and a half.
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