Alex Fletcher was one half of the creative force of ’80s British hair band PoP–think Andrew Ridgely of Wham but playing keyboards and doing more of the singing and songwriting–who sunk into the lowest rung of the oldies circuit after his better looking partner Colin went off to solo glory. Sophie Fisher is an aspiring writer of poetry and fiction who sunk into depression and substitute plant watering after her professor/lover diteched her when his fiance returned from sabbatical and then turned their affair into a bestselling novel with, of course, Sophie as the evil, talentless seductress.
Music and Lyrics is the charming story of the chance for Alex (Hugh Grant) and Sophie (Drew Barymore) to climb out of their holes when Alex is offered the opportunity to write a song called “Way Back Into Love” for hot young thing Cora Corman (Haley Bennett, making an impressive film debut). Fletcher, having been the composer to Colin’s lyricist in PoP, needs help since there are only three days to deliver and Sophie fortuitously mumbles some quality verse as she waters the plants in his apartment while he tries to work with a mercenary but successful lyricist.
Writer/director Marc Lawrence, who wrote several Sandra Bullock vehicles, such as Two Weeks Notice (his directorial debut, also co-starring Grant), Force of Nature and Miss Congeniality, does not stray terribly far from the well-worn romantic comedy path but does it well and has help from very good performances by the three lead actors as well as Brad Garrett (the current Fox sitcom ‘Til Death and Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alex’s manager and Kirsten Johnson (Third Rock from the Sun) as Sophie’s larger than life older sister/huge Alex Fletcher fan.
Lawrence opens the movie by showing us the video of PoP’s biggest hit from back in the day and trust me, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a big haired Hugh Grant prancing and singing in it. We’re watching the clip because Alex is at a reality TV show’s office as they want him to be a contestant in Battle of the ’80s Has Beens, in which two performers box for the chance to sing their old hit. He declines with some incredibly British wit, crisp enough that the producers don’t understand he’s turned them down until after the meeting. Garrett in turn cuts Grant down a notch with the news that several amusement parks and state fairs have cancelled his scheduled shows.
Out of the blue, Cora’s people call up with their offer. It turns out that she’s a huge Fletcher/PoP fan and wants a song from him for her new CD, a duet they can perform together. Getting there is the plot; of course they succeed, and fall in love too, but must overcome the usual obstacles.
Haley Bennet spends much of her screen time wearing incredibly skimpy costumes, showing a lot more skin than the least clothed photo I found on IMDB. In a sign that I’m truly aging, however, she really never got me excited. Ah well…
Adam Schlesinger of the band Fountains of Wayne provides most of the original music for the film, much as he did for the similar inside-the-biz That Thing You Do! (which I really ought to write up, having watched it again recently and very much enjoyed), though Grant, Barymore and Bennett do their own singing.
recommended