Movie Review: Music and Lyrics

This movie is a lot of fun, especially if you like Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, as I do. Hugh Grant plays Alex Fletcher, a pop star who was big in the 80s and is currently reduced to playing at amusement parks and county fairs. He has a chance to make a comeback when a huge current singing star, Cora Corman, (a Britney Spears type, played by Haley Bennett) wants him to write a new song for her to sing with him as a duet. She insists that it must be a new song, not one that either one of them has sung before, and further insists that the title must be "Way Back Into Love." The only problem is that he hasn't written a song since his last album bombed about ten years previously. Even then, he never wrote lyrics, just composed the melodies.

Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) is the woman Alex hired to water his plants. He discovers her flair for words and persuades her to write the lyrics for his new song. She is initially reluctant. Her last boyfriend was her literature professor and a writer who had made her the subject of his new novel (in a not-so-flattering light). The boyfriend (played by Campbell Scott) also had let her know how little he thought of her writing skills through his portrayal of the character who was inspired by Sophie. But Alex manages to convince her to write the lyrics for his new song. They make a great team with her writing lyrics and him composing the music, and when they present the finished product to Cora Corman, she loves it.

Not surprisingly, Sophie and Alex fall for each other. A romance develops, but as with any romantic comedy, troubles abound. Cora takes the song Sophie and Alex wrote and reworks it so completely that it is unrecognizable. Alex is just happy that Cora wanted the song in the first place, but Sophie is less than pleased with the artistic license that Cora has taken with it and thinks they should confront her about it. This disagreement is enough to seriously threaten Alex and Sophie's budding relationship. Then, of course, there are also the issues of Alex's commitment phobia and Sophie's negative relationship experience with her literature professor.

There are not many surprises in this movie. It's definitely the type of thing that has been done many times before, but Grant and Barrymore make it work. Drew Barrymore is as irresistible and charming as ever in her role. Hugh Grant is hilarious in his role as the washed-up 80s pop star (think Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!). The movie opens with the video that made Alex's old band, PoP!, famous. This is probably the funniest part of the whole movie. The song is called "Pop Goes My Heart" and the video brings back memories of the early to mid-80s, when I spent a good portion of my time glued to MTV. People who remember the 80s fondly will definitely appreciate this. So if you're in the mood for a light romantic comedy, check this one out.