Glenn Aspe Online

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 30, 2007)

That rarest of beast, 2007’s Music and Lyrics offers a “chick flick” that also appeals to the men in the audience. The film introduces us to fictitious 80s chart-toppers “PoP!”, a group led by Colin Thompson (Scott Porter) and Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant). When they disbanded, Colin went onto enormous solo success, while Alex wound up as just another pop culture has-been.

However, he continues to perform – albeit in front of increasingly tiny audience – and he hopes to get a break that will take him back into the charts. An opening presents itself when he gets the assignment to write a new song for pop phenomenon Cora Corman (Haley Bennett). The problem: Alex maintains a gift for tunes but not words.

After a disastrous attempt to pair Alex with a professional lyricist (Aasif Mandvi), he discovers his muse: substitute plant waterer Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore). She shows the ability to effortlessly toss off good lines, and Alex persuades her to become his partner. The movie follows all the pressures connected to their writing assignment – and other developments of a more romantic nature.

If you ask for one reason Music succeeds, I’ll give you two: Grant and Barrymore. Both are at their most charming and endearing here. Though Grant gets most of the funny lines, I think Barrymore probably gives the stronger performance. It’s her presence that allows Grant to be so loose and likable. She’s developing into the chick flick MVP, the woman you want to bring out the best in the male lead. How else can we explain how well her pairings with Adam Sandler have gone? Barrymore even managed to make Jimmy Fallon look like a decent screen presence.

Not that Grant is a slouch himself. He effortlessly conveys the spirit of a star on the decline, and he impresses with his own singing. When I originally watched the flick, I assumed someone else did the vocals, but it turns out Hugh carried the tunes himself. That’s a nice little bonus in addition to his amusing performance.

As one who spent much of the 80s in my teens, I certainly can easily remember the era, and that fact makes Music all the more enjoyable. The filmmakers get the little nuances right and pay a loving – not condescending – tribute to the period. Sure, the flick pokes fun at the goofier side of things, but it doesn’t do so in a mean-spirited way. It doesn’t hurt that “Pop Goes My Heart” really is a good tune; it truly could have been a hit.

If forced to do so, I can certainly find a few flaws in Music. The third act tends to drag, the characters veer toward the stereotypically wacky, and some of the plot turns feel wrong and contrived. None of these faults matter a whole lot, though. Music presents too much of a fun, warm and endearing experience for my to rain on its parade.