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Music and Lyrics Running time 1:35 Rated PG-13 Parkway Point, ShowPlace East
To succeed in the movie business, it helps to have
talent. Being adorable, however, can help sustain a career long after its
expiration date. Though an accomplished thespian, Hugh Grant has turned
charm into an art form. Pair him with Drew Barrymore, the princess of cute,
and the chemical reaction is guaranteed to turn audiences to putty.
That’s pretty much the premise of Music
and Lyrics, an entertaining piece of fluff
about a has-been pop star and his new source of inspiration. Grant plays Alex Fletcher, a performer cut from the
pre-scandal George Michael mold, who finds himself scraping by at county
fairs and private parties, belting out his old hits, his dignity a distant
memory. Fortunately, the entertainment industry is cyclical and everything
old, even the emptiest of pop confections, becomes new again. Fletcher
finds himself in demand when he’s asked to write and record a duet
with music’s flavor of the week, Cora Corman (Haley Bennett). Problem
is, Fletcher is a bit rusty at penning tunes — but fate smiles upon
him when he meets plant expert Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who happens to
have a way with words. Of course Fisher comes up with a catchy jingle,
Fletcher rediscovers his sense of self-respect, and the two fall for each
other. Writer/director Marc Lawrence, who guided Grant through similar
territory in 2002 with Two Weeks Notice, knows the romantic comedy formula like the back of his
hand, adding a pinch of wit here and a dash of romance there to make this
familiar recipe seem, if not fresh, at least sweet enough for consumption.
The fact that he doesn’t let the film or its characters overstay
their welcome helps considerably — the movie, which clocks in at a
bit over 90 minutes, is the perfect length for something so lightweight.
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2007.
