Purely Joyful Movie!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Slightly better than usual Hugh Grant rom-com vehicle which sees him play an ageing, 80's has-been Andrew Ridgley-type popster who gets an unlikely break from the constant round of playing the oldies circuit when he's asked to write a song for the new, hot young Britney / Christina kid-on-the-block. However, rather like, say, Elton John, he doesn't do lyrics and needs to find one fast to complete the new song on deadline and give his erstwhile career a much needed boost. By chance, it turns out his young, female plant- lady (i.e. she waters his plants) has a way with words and because she's also Drew Barrymore they form an offbeat partnership, get involved and along the way solve Barrymore's own issues which revolve around an old teacher of hers who's used her experiences as the thinly disguised subject of a hit, soon-to-be-filmed best seller of his.The film starts off very funnily with a spot-on mickey-take of the relentlessly upbeat 80's videos from those boys from Wham, before the main story takes over and I suppose falters from there. Grant is a bit less gauche and narcissistic than usual (strangely so, given his character's C.V. here) and Barrymore is more clever than cute when her character might have played better if those traits were reversed.There's not a great deal of romantic spark between them although cosmetically they spark a little better off each other. Sadly, the supporting characters are thin while story goes through the predictable series of will they, won't they get together ups and downs before the expected happy-ending sees the succeed together on a personal and commercial level.The best lines are still those which spoof the 80's music scene, in my opinion, the decade that fashion and talent forgot, the rest of it is, unsurprisingly, soft and warm and fuzzy, rather like a typical George Michael single of the time. The big conclusion, at a massive concert thrown by new hipster Cora, sees Grant, heretofore an inept lyricist, but who throughout must of the film, keeps up a mostly witty and confident dialogue and writes a fluent open-letter lyric to Barrymore just as she's quitting the big showcase concert of Cora's where he appears to be taking sole credit for their new song for Cora.Like 80's music in general, this reasonably pleasant and amusing film doesn't exactly challenge the senses but passes the time amiably enough.

How often do we see romantic-comedies that are well-done & genuinely cute? They falter many a times, I personally feel, but 'Music and Lyrics' is a Likable & Funny film, that is undoubtedly a small little gem form 2007. 'Music and Lyrics' Synopsis: A washed up singer is given a couple days to compose a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen sensation. Though he's never written a decent lyric in his life, he sparks with an offbeat younger woman with a flair for words.'Music and Lyrics' has rhythm & soul. The characters work, while the music beautifully compliments narrative. The film has a very feel-good vibe, which it consistently carries throughout. There are moments of humour & subtle romance here, as well.Marc Lawrence's Screenplay is full of charm & light-moments. Its very well-written! Lawrence's Direction, on the other-hand, is nicely done. Cinematography is top-notch. Editing is just right. Performance-Wise: Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore are in terrific form. Both of the talented actors add charm, wit & realism to their respective parts & share a lovely on-screen chemistry. Brad Garrett is first-rate.On the whole, 'Music and Lyrics' works hugely. Strongly Recommended!

Director/writer Marc Lawrence is kind of a rom-com hack. And that's basically what we have here. The story is weak, but it's the two stars that make this shine.Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a has-been singer songwriter. He's living off his former fame, but that's drying up. So he's forced to ghost write for pop princess Cora Corman. Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) is the substitute plant waterer. (really?? that's a job?) She ends up being his lyricist.It's all very silly and manufactured. But the storyline does allow a few jabs at popular music. Grant and Barrymore are super cute and amiable together. They are amazing rom-com material. Their chemistry is off the charts. They both have great comic timing. They make this premise work.

"No pets or children" sounds a guideline for filmmakers, and for screenwriters it should be: "no creative problems or stage careers as a theme". Only a biopic can portray stage scenes and popularity on a level that is believable, just because that is what the audience knows about the subject: yes, this star was popular.The theme of this movie is arguably a love story, but with the title Music and Lyrics, the creative process of writing is at the center of the tale. From the start the love affair of the ex-POP! singer Hugh Grant and the wannabe writer Drew Barrymore follows the road of the romantic comedy, albeit that they need to "write the music and lyrics of their love themselves". There we have the first problem: any depiction of a creative process becomes tiresome, regardless of the many dead pan jokes Hugh Grant gets to make. Watching people try to rhyme or look for a song idea is watching... people try to rhyme or look for a song idea. It is like watching people work.Then we have the performances of the movies superstar Cora, which should be valued somewhere between Britney and Christina: but how on earth do you simulate a big, expensive, explosive pop concert without doing exactly that: staging a big, expensive, explosive concert? Well, you do it slightly cheaper, smaller and, not so explosive. And it shows. Yes, there is a large Buddha from where Cora emerges, but would Britney or Christina put up a whole show with just one large Buddha on stage? Ten different Buddhas maybe, and a pyramid, and a temple and a burning sky scraper. The audience knows what a superstar concert looks like, and is not easily convinced. The actors give it their best shot, and some even succeed, but all in all this is a perfect example for how a screenwriter best avoids depicting fictional popular concerts, and showing the process of creativity. They're implausible and tiresome, and both traits are ill- fated for a commercial movie, which a rom-com, with all its rules and clichés, is.