Music and Lyrics (2007)

A washed up singer is given a couple days to compose a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen sensation. Though he's never written a decent lyric in his life, he sparks with an offbeat younger woman with a flair for words.

Director:

Marc Lawrence

Writer:

Marc Lawrence

Stars:

Hugh Grant, Scott Porter, Nick Bacon

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant	...	Alex Fletcher
Scott Porter	...	Colin Thompson
Nick Bacon	...	Pop Bass Player
Andrew Wyatt	...	Pop Guitar Player (as Andrew Wyatt Blakemore)
Dan McMillan	...	Pop Drummer
Tom Foligno	...	Has-Beens Promo Announcer (voice)
Zak Orth	...	David Newbert - TV Executive #1
Brooke Tansley	...	Janice Stern - TV Executive #2
Daniel Stewart Sherman	...	Willy
Brad Garrett	...	Chris Riley
Aasif Mandvi	...	Khan
Drew Barrymore	...	Sophie Fisher
Haley Bennett	...	Cora Corman
Matthew Morrison	...	Ray
Jason Antoon	...	Greg Antonsky

Storyline

Cheery Alex Fletcher lives comfortably in Manhattan off the residuals from his 80's pop success and reprising his hits at school reunions, theme parks, and state fairs. But those gigs are declining, so he jumps at the chance to write a song and record it with reigning teen idol Cora Corman. Trouble is, he's good at melodies but needs a lyricist and has less than a week to finish. Enter Sophie Fisher, subbing for a friend who waters Alex's plants; she's a pretty good poet, quick witted, and could do it, if she'd agree. But there's some sort of shadow over her head that Alex may not be able to charm his way past. And what if they do get a song written, what then?

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Plot Keywords:

singer | lyricist | band | concert | whimsical | 

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Taglines:

Share the music with someone you love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros. Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Music and Lyrics by...

Filming Locations:

201 West 72nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$15,875,471 (USA) (16 February 2007)

Gross:

$50,562,555 (USA) (11 May 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, Reserve Room

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 95 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Fry, lead singer of 1980's pop band ABC, coached Hugh Grant with his singing and dancing.

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Goofs

After Alex leaves the stage his agent says, "You've gotta do the encore". Alex raises the towel to his face. Alex says "Do I really have to?' and lowers a bottle of water, instead of the towel.

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Quotes

[Sophie has overwatered a plant. Alex takes it away from her]
Alex Fletcher: Good. Now you can begin to kill the next one.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits the video of 'Pop Goes My Heart' is played with pop-ups similar to VH1's 'Pop-up Video'

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.163 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Meaningless Kiss"
Written by Adam Schlesinger
Produced by Adam Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold
Performed by Hugh Grant

User Reviews

Charming, witty, and lighthearted comedy

There are already 222 reviews of this movie, so the chances of anyone ever reading this are slim. However, I'm a sucker for a longshot. (so if you read this review, please give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down...I'm curious to know if anyone will ever read this, buried under more than 200 other reviews)

When a friend suggested we rent this movie, my initial reaction was, "NO!! It's a chick flick. And besides, it's got Hugh Grant in it. Those are two really big strikes against it." However, and remember my fondness for longshots, the movie also casts Drew Barrymore in the other lead role. I couldn't resist.

To my complete surprise, both actors were excellent, and Hugh Grant doesn't have a bad singing voice. To be honest, if he and Drew Barrymore wanted to record an album of pop songs, I think it could do quite well. Her strength is that she is perky and funny, and that compensates for lack of trained vocal talent. Sometimes you DON'T want to hear Barbra Streisand.

Here's the quickie plot summary: Hugh Grant was in a popular band of the 1980s, and now he's reduced to playing for embarrassing venues like shopping malls, amusement parks, and High School reunions. When a Britney Spears-type singer wants him to write her new single, his life changes completely, but only due to Drew Barrymore's help.

I now judge movies in part by how my European friends would react to them. I have to admit that some American movies are a little corny, but this movie passed the test with flying colors. A friend from Slovakia not only loved the movie, he insisted on watching the trailers and special scenes.... twice! It was a welcome relief to actually be proud of a Hollywood movie.

I now have new-found respect for Hugh Grant, and my admiration for Drew Barrymore is higher than ever. She sure has a lot of talent for playing someone with pluck and a little bit of endearing wackiness.