Music and Lyrics is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It focuses on the relationship that evolves between a former pop music idol (of the fictional band POP! similar to Wham!) and an aspiring writer as they struggle to compose a song for the reigning pop diva.
Plot
Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) enjoyed considerable fame and success in the 1980s and early 1990s as one of the founding members of the band PoP!(with hits like "Pop Goes My Heart", "Meaningless Kiss", and "Dance With Me Tonight") - however, after they disbanded, his songwriting partner Colin Thompson became a popular solo act, while Alex's own career nosedived. In recent years he has supported himself by reprising his old hits for middle-aged female fans at high school reunions, county fairs, and amusement parks, but even these minor opportunities are slowly drying up. Alex is given a chance at a comeback when teenage pop diva Cora Corman (Haley Bennett) commissions him to write a song called “A Way Back Into Love” for her new CD which is on the verge of completion, leaving him only days to fulfill her request. However, Alex's forté is composing music; he always relied on Colin to supply the words, thus complicating matters.
During an unsuccessful attempt at a collaboration, Alex discovers that Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), who waters his plants, has something of a gift for writing song lyrics. Sophie, a former creative writing student reeling from a disastrous romance with her former English professor, Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), who has written a novel based on their relationship that cruelly depicts her as a talentless mimic, has little confidence in her talent and initially refuses. She is very sensitive on this subject, but Alex manages to cajole her into helping him by using a few quickly-chosen phrases she has given him as the basis for a song. Over the next few days, Sophie and Alex continue to write “A Way Back Into Love”, gradually growing closer, much to the delight of Sophie’s older sister Rhonda (Kristen Johnston), a fan of Alex’s from his PoP! days.
Sophie and Alex struggle to meet the deadline and complete their song in this scene from
Music and Lyrics
Managing to barely meet the deadline Cora has set for the song’s delivery, Alex and Sophie are thrilled when she accepts it; however, at a celebratory dinner with Alex’s manager Chris (Brad Garrett) Sophie is mortified to encounter Sloan. On Alex’s urging, she attempts to confront him but finds herself tongue-tied in his presence, and Alex’s own attempts to defend her honor only result in a scuffle that he comes out of worst. Nursing their respective wounds back at Alex’s apartment, Alex and Sophie end up sleeping together under Alex’s piano.
Sophie is later horrified when she discovers Cora plans to record a sexually-charged interpretation of "A Way Back into Love," complete with a "sweaty and sticky" Indian vibe she feels clashes with the romantic spirit of the song. She is determined to convince Cora to abandon the bizarre arrangement, only to find Alex vetoing her efforts for fear he will lose the opportunity to work with Cora and revive his career. In the ensuing argument, he admits Cora's version is awful but contends accepting it is the cost of doing business. Upset by Alex's willingness to demean his talent and extremely hurt by his argument that Sloan Cates was right about her personality, Sophie leaves him.
Sophie, intending to start a new life in Florida, reluctantly attends the opening of Cora's new tour at Madison Square Garden, at which Alex and Cora will debut “A Way Back Into Love”. Upon hearing that Alex is singing a new song “written by Alex Fletcher”, Sophie is upset to believe that Alex is stealing credit for her work; however, the song Alex sings is called "Don't Write Me Off", a self-penned plea for Sophie to give their relationship another chance. Touched, Sophie finds Alex backstage, and he confesses he convinced Cora to drop the risqué version of "A Way Back into Love" in an attempt to win Sophie back. He and Cora perform the tune as he and Sophie intended it to be sung, and the two songwriters embrace in the wings. The end of the movie(a homage to VH-1's 'Pop-Up Video') reveals that the song becomes a hit for Cora & Alex, the film version of Sloane's novel flops with critics and moviegoers(ending his career), Colin winds up having his hip replaced after years of dancing, and Alex and Sophie go on to become successful partners, both in songwriting and romance.
Cast
(Grant, Bennett, and Barrymore all did their own singing in the film.)
Critical reception
Music and Lyrics received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported 63% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 158 reviews, a fresh score,[2] while Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 59 out of 100, based on 30 reviews.[3]
A.O. Scott of the New York Times called the film "the type of modern Hollywood production that aspires to nothing more than the competent dispensing of mild amusement and easy emotion. The writer and director, Marc Lawrence . . . shows some imagination as he parodies the music-video styles of various eras, and he contrives a bit of novelty in making the movie’s central couple creative partners as well as potential lovers . . . Mr. Grant is at his best when he allows a hard glint of caddish narcissism to peek through his easy flirtatiousness, something he did in About a Boy and American Dreamz. There is not quite enough of that here, nor enough of the anarchic loopiness that Ms. Barrymore brought to roles opposite Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates."[4]
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle observed, "Writer-director Marc Lawrence makes a talk-heavy variety of romantic comedy that not everyone likes - Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice, Forces of Nature - but he does it well. Moreover, Music and Lyrics has virtues its predecessors lack. Scenes play out longer than in most films, and conversations have a chance to evolve. Also, because much of the film places the protagonists in rooms together, working for extended periods, there are an unusual number of two-person scenes, giving the actors the chance to show their charm, work off each other and develop the nuances of interaction . . . Lawrence's take on pop music success is exactly right, satiric without being absurdist, and therefore a prize worth the effort."[5]
Todd McCarthy of the Variety said "Sitcommy in structure and execution, this very mainstream romance . . . offers few surprises. But its pep, agreeable performances and appealing central conceit will profitably put this Warner Bros. Valentine's Day romantic comedy over with women and couples seeking a nice diversion . . . Writer-director Marc Lawrence . . . makes everything about three times more obvious than it needs to be; as a director, he needs to edit himself better as a writer . . . But there's energy here, and the actors feed on it."[6]
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film two out of five stars, calling it a "very moderate romcom" and adding, "Grant and Barrymore make a reasonable odd couple, and both have charm, but this never comes to life."[7]
Philip French of The Observer said, "Grant has the occasional good line (or at least he makes a few of them seem funny), but the film limps along like someone trying to tap dance in flippers."[8]
Box office
The film opened on February 9, 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and ranked #1 at the box office, grossing £1.93 million in its first weekend. It was released on 2,955 screens in the United States and Canada on February 14 and grossed $13,623,630 on its opening weekend, ranking #4 at the box office[1] behind Ghost Rider, Bridge to Terabithia, and Norbit. It eventually grossed $50,572,589 in the US and Canada and $95,323,833 in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of $145,896,422.[1]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album reached #5 on the Billboard Top Soundtracks Chart[9] and #63 on the Billboard 200.[10]
DVD release
Warner Home Video released the DVD in both anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen versions in the US, Canada, and US territories on May 8, 2007. Both feature audio tracks and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a gag reel, Note for Note: The Making of Music and Lyrics, and the music video PoP! Goes My Heart.
References
External links
