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May 20, 2007
Author: Paul Heath
 Director:
Marc Lawrence
Cast: Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore,
Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston, Campbell Scott,
Scott Porter
Disc info:
Widescreen 1.85:1/16x9
Audio:
English Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English
French
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles: None
Runtime: 108 min.
Release Date: May 8th, 2007
Bonus:
• Eight Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• “Note for Note: The Making of Music and Lyrics”
Featurette
• Music Video
• Previews
MUSIC AND LYRICS unites rom-com favourites Hugh
Grant (LOVE, ACTUALLY, TWO WEEKS NOTICE) and Drew
Barrymore (FEVER PITCH, 50 FIRST DATES) and is set
in modern-day New York with Grant filling the shoes
of Alex Fletcher, a fallen 80’s pop star (from the
band PoP!) turned music writer. Barrymore plays
Sophie Fisher, a plant carer who wanders into Alex’s
life at the right time when he has just days to
pen a track for International pop sensation Cora
Corman, a teen popstress played as a cross between
Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Shakira.
After teaming with a lyricist, played by Aasif Mandvi,
Alex realises things are not ‘happening’, and faces
the realisation that he’s not going to bag the lucrative
job, international public exposure and that mammoth
pay day.. That is until he hears Fisher belting
out lyrics in the apartment as she goes about watering
his plants. After a little hesistation, the pair
agree to unite professionally, working day and night
to write Cora’s next big hit while at the same time,
themselves starting to get more romantically involved
with one-another.
I am a deep down unashamed lover of chick-flicks.
I have written this in many reviews on the site
– it’s no big secret. As I popped the DVD, I expected
to like it. I really did. I have a huge batch of
movies to review after returning from a break, all
heavy period dramas, war movies or polital satires.
Lurking in the pile was this movie - a nice and
easy Hugh Grant rom-com. In it goes, an easy night
– no big expectation or much brain-powere needed
to enjoy. Superb. I saw MUSIC AND LYRICS as another
of those Hugh Grant movies that are both easy to
watch and enjoyable at the same time. I’m a lover
of Drew Barrymore also, so bonus time at the Heath
household this week.
The film starts off with promise, a superbly put
together 80’s style music video called “Pop Goes
My Heart”, a vid in the same vein as any of the
old Aha videos of that glorious decade. The song
for which the video accompanies is also really rather
catchy, and could have easily have been a hit for
Mr Grant who apparently provides his own vocals.
Cheesetastic. My only concern was that this was
the best of what was on offer… But this is a Hugh
Grant movie, and this is what Hugh Grant does best.
This is what Hugh Grant does effortlessly. It’s
an easy pay day for the British actor as the role
of Alex Fletcher could have easily have been pretty
much any character that the guy has played in the
last five years. But, I really like watching the
guy – as I did here.
No mistake - this film is no great shakes. It’s
run-of-the-mill stuff. Think of it like a tin of
Baked Beans – nothing special, but you know what
you’re going to get and you’ll still pay to eat
it – and boy, does it tastes good. Give it an hour
or so though, and you’re farting like a good ‘un.
Okay, so crappy analogies aside, things I liked,
apart from Grant. It’s a different little story
being told here despite the classic boy-meets-girl,
boy-falls-in-in-love-with-girl, girl-falls-in-love-back,
couple-gets-together, couple-have-fight, couple-split-up
(briefly), couple-make-up, couple-live-happily-ever-after
kinda thing. It’s an enjoyable journey.
I particularly liked the every lovely Drew Barrymore,
who looks better than ever here. I like the way
that the two provide their own vocals for the film,
a fact that I only discovered after watching the
film – I took it that Grant had a stand-in as his
singing voice sounds nothing like him. I love the
catchy tune and cheesy video at the start (it’s
also included on the bonus features in full). I
loved to see Brad Garrett (EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND)
breaking out into movies (though he’s wasted here,
and not given enough time to shine) and the brilliant
Campbell Scott, who appears all too briefly as a
sleazeback writer in one confrontational scene between
his character and Barrymore’s Sophie, the unwilling
subject of his latest novel.
The bad points? Well, the movie all-round is sluggish
in places. There are too many low-points in the
script that far out way the high-points. There were
too many times during the movie that I spent looking
at the running-time display on the DVD player. That
said, t he lovely lady sat next to me had a hoot
from start to finish.
All said, MUSIC AND LYRICS is your typical chickie-flickie
rom-com that is the perfect date night in. Personally,
I believe Grant has done better, and the movie isn’t
a patch on previous efforts ABOUT A BOY, NOTTING
HILL or even LOVE, ACTUALLY. We are however a notch
above AMERICAN DREAMZ, Grant’s last movie, a film
that I loathed.
You won’t go far wrong if you know what to expect.
Expectation delivered a nice little romantic story
with a musical twist with ‘foppy’ Hugh Grant in
the mix.. If you’re happy with that – go rent it.
MUSIC AND LYRICS is available to rent and buy on
region one DVD now.
EXTRAS:
** EIGHT DELETED SCENES: As it says, eight scenes
deleted from the movie. They are: “Meeting Cora”,
“Alex and Khan”, “Phone Messages”, “Too Many Words”,
“Vinny Sings”, “Carousel”, “On Mars” and “Colin
Calls”. All cut from the film probably due to the
running time. For a change, I actually enjoyed watching
these and some are truly funny…so going against
my usual opinion of deleted scenes, these are a
valid extras and well worth a watch.
** NOTE FOR NOTE – THE MAKING OF MUSIC AND LYRICS:
A 15 minute or so ‘making of’ that isn’t really
all that special. There’s quite a bit of behind
the scenes footage including some of Hugh and Drew
recording their vocals. It’s good to have a ‘making
of’ included, but this offers very little in the
way of production info. There are interviews with
actors Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Brad Garrett,
Haley Bennett and Kristin Johnston as well as writer/director
Marc Lawrence, co-producer Scott Elias, costume
designer Susan Lyall, choreographer Dan Karaty,
vocal coach/arranger Michael Rafter and composer
Adam Schlesinger.
** GAG REEL: A reasonably funny gag reel, mostly
made up of Hugh and Drew cracking up on set, but
I got more enjoyment from…
** MUSIC VIDEO: “POP GOES MY HEART”: The full music
video for the song that opens the movie – easily
the funny part of the film which features Grant
with his 80’s throwback Flock of Seagulls haircut.
Superbly made and a worthy and welcomed addition.
** PREVIEWS: The disc opens with previews for Nancy
Drew, No Reservations, Seinfeld Season Eight, In
the Land of Women and The Astronaut Farmer.
GRADES:
Movie: B- DVD: C
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