According to Colwell

From the opening scene, a 1980’s music video from the fictitious pop group “Pop!”, Music and Lyrics sets a comic tone that is as infectious and lightweight as the pop music that pervades it. Hugh Grant plays Alex Fletcher, the “has-been” half of the creative force behind “Pop!”, now relegated to singing his past classics at high school reunions, state fairs, and Knott’s Berry Farm. Fletcher claims to be content as a has-been, having comfortably settled into a life where he is as happy to see his adoring fans, now forty-something soccer moms, as they are to see him singing Karaoke-style on the local stage. A potential break comes when modern teen pop star Cora (Haley Bennett) solicits Fletcher to write a song in three days that she might include in her next album. Fletcher is a melody-writer in a need of a lyricist which is where Drew Barrymore’s Sophie Fisher gets thrown into the mix.

Grant brings his usual charm to the role of Fletcher, bringing a touch of English wit and humor to a role where he also gets to sing and gyrate his hips with the trademark Pop! moves that made girls swoon twenty years ago. Barrymore is equally charming as a would-be writer with some emotional issues that are just serious enough to provide an opportunity for her and Fletcher to build a relationship, but not serious enough to weigh the movie down. She is not the stereotypical ditz that romantic comedies sometimes rely on for simple comic relief. Her performance is warm and subtle, plus she looks very much like my darling daughter, Aylia.

The last third of the movie gets weighed down a bit by the various plot elements that need to be resolved, but I found this to be a surprisingly enjoyable romantic comedy, perhaps especially for someone who remembers the pop groups of the 80’s. The contrast between Fletcher’s sequined sportcoat and classic 80’s moves and Cora’s incarnation of the modern hot-bod pop star also provides numerous comic opportunities. The movie is not complex or sophisticated, but it is fun, catchy, and diverting, just like a good pop song.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 17th, 2007 at 11:14 pm and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.