Music and Lyrics (Widescreen Edition)
by Marc Lawrence
List Price:
Our Price: $2.00
You Save: $3.97 (66%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.64 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brad Garrett, Drew Barrymore, Haley Bennett, Hugh Grant, Scott PorterDirector: Marc Lawrence
Brand: Warner Brothers
Writer: Marc Lawrence
Producer: Bruce Berman
Producer: Martin Shafer
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
Published: 2007
DVD Release Date: 2007-05-08
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Model: 111282
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Music and Lyrics (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: "You look angry - click your pen.",
Summary: 5 Stars
[...]
A date movie released on Valentine's Day has a lot to live up to. Despite the romantically uninspired title, MUSIC AND LYRICS luckily proves to be a very good date movie. After having now seen Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore together, I'll be clamoring for future cinematic team-ups by these two. Both actors play to their own strengths as well as effectively sparking a romantic chemistry. Hugh Grant is his usual wrily charming British person and once again fruitfully mines his wealth of self-deprecating humor, and Drew Barrymore is her normal sweetly engaging, klutzy goofball self. Surprisingly, Drew's adorable goofiness and Hugh's gently acerbic wit work well together. I fully expect MUSIC AND LYRICS to have a theater life long past Valentine's Day.
Now, the plot: Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) was the second banana in the popular 1980's band PoP! (comparisons to Wham! are inevitable). When the band disbanded, front man Colin (now Sir Colin) Thompson easily segued into a successful solo act, his first album comfortably selling 8 million copies. He even had his own cologne called A Whiff of Colin. Meanwhile, Alex's career plummeted as his dismal attempt at his own album ("Rhyme & No Reason") rapidly landed him in the Super Sale category of the music store. Alex was then reduced to ekeing out a livelihood by going on a back-alley circuit tour, performing at Knotts Berry Farm, Busch Gardens, the Hilton Hotel...Fifteen years later, nothing's changed except that his goal now is to get a musical gig at Disneyland and that, now, he's fielding offers of participating in a boxing reality show called Battle of the '80s Has-Beens ("That Debbie Gibson can take a punch, huh?"). All in all, he's settled into a somewhat graceful acceptance that his better days are now viewed in the rearview mirror.
But Alex's luck seems to change for the better when sexy pop megastar Cora Corman (Haley Bennett, who effectively channels Britney, Christina, and even Shakira) offers him a songwriting gig, providing he could craft one within the next few days. The cherry on top is that if Cora likes the song, Alex'll perform it with her live in a Madison Square Garden concert. If his song sucks, well, there are offerings by eight other has-beens from which she could pick. The dilemma here is that writing song lyrics has never been Alex's cup of tea, having once rhymed "you and me" with "autopsy."
Then into his life steps Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), his temporary waterer of plants. Sophie, upon their initial meeting, proves to be decidedly quirky. His manager Chris (Brad Garrett) advises Alex to not give her a key. But it doesn't take long for Alex to realize that Sophie actually has a talent for songwriting, and he doesn't waste time in trying to convince her to work with him on Cora's song (he describes her as "Cole Porter in panties"). She's at first resistant but, of course, is soon convinced. Despite her personal baggages and his non-talent for lyrics and stuck-in-a-rut sensibilities, they look to be a promising writing team. But then they fall in love...
Sometimes you wonder why certain pairings work and others don't. Hugh Grant with Sandra Bullock in TWO WEEKS' NOTICE was a disaster. My take on that is that Sandra Bullock seemed to try too hard (plus, it's never very romantic to give the female lead a case of constipation on the freeway, or anywhere else, for that matter). Drew Barrymore, on the other hand, has a very natural style. In her films, she hardly ever looks contrived. Her rapport with Hugh Grant looks effortless. The playful give and take between the two are worth the price of admission. Another factor in the fun is Grant's musical numbers, complete with hip thrusts and other sundry undulations. He does his own singing, as well, and, while he's not about to knock anyone's socks off with his vocal talents, he doesn't exactly suck. In fact, his heartfelt performance of "Don't Write Me Off" almost brought a lump to my throat, before I remembered I was a guy and should act like one. But, well done to Hugh, who I felt mustered every ounce of effort and sincerity into his singing. Vastly enjoyable also is the film's hilarious opening video clip of PoP!'s signature hit song "Pop! Goes My Heart," which perfectly captures the standard 1980s music video. "Meaningless Kiss" is very reminiscent of George Michael's tune "Careless Whispers," a song of George's that I quite liked. Even "Way Back Into Love," the song title Alex was hired to write lyrics around, never got old, even with its endless callbacks. As a sidenote, I prefer his duet with Drew much more than his with Haley Bennett (Cora).
The supporting cast is very good. Sophie's older sister Rhonda (Kristen Johnston) makes the most of her role as the still Alex Fletcher-smitten baby boomer. Just about every scene with her is a highlight. Campbell Scott as the dastardly Sloan Cates has a brief appearance but is cold-heartedly effective in that tiny nugget of time. Young pop diva Cora Corman, seeking Eastern enlightenment seemingly thru the path of righteous booty shaking, is played by Haley Bennett with an airheaded yet sensual flair. Brad Garrett, unfortunately, is wasted here as he's stuck playing the straight man role. In real life, he's way funnier than that.
I have no qualms giving five stars to this film, having had such a devastatingly good time watching it. While MUSIC AND LYRICS doesn't have groundbreaking material, it does what it sets out to do, which is to be a sweet and uncomplicated romantic comedy. If you're in the mood for something light and consistently amusing, with two leads who'll reward you with their easy charm and charisma, and if you get a kick out of retro songs and scenes of Hugh Grant gyrating in tight pants, then this one just might be for you.
Summary of Music and Lyrics (Widescreen Edition)
MUSIC AND LYRICS - DVD Movie