It's all about chemistry

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2007)

Despite it's cheesiness and inevitable predictability, this one's all about chemistry. You really have to be incredibly dense and daft not to know how a romantic comedy's going to end, so you hope the pleasure of the film is going to be the journey the actors take us on.
What makes "Music and Lyrics" work are Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. The two of have charm and comedic timing to spare, but they also supremely click together as an on-screen couple.
Alex Fletcher seems tailor-made for Grant. There's a certain charming arrogance that Grant exudes as Alex, a man who knows his place in pop culture, if you will.
Barrymore's an absolute darling as Sophie. Though, frankly, she could play these roles in her sleep. She breathes life into Sophie - and the film. She mines wonderful comedy from relatively ordinary moments. The fact that she also has one of cinema's most radiant smiles doesn't hurt, either.
I know why Barrymore takes on these roles. But I would now love to see her in a truly dramatic role.
The film's loose bit of casting is Kristen Johnston as Sophie's sister, Rhonda. Hr character is a cliché of the genre - the sidekick - but wasn't Joan Cusack available? Seriously. Johnston's way too over-the-top. Subtlety has never been her forte and she plays everything so broadly that her shtick gets a bit annoying after a while.
"Music and Lyrics" is a typical romantic comedy. Plot wise, there are no surprises. But it's a pleasant deviation from most of the tripe Hollywood usually churns out. And the reason for that? Grant and Barrymore.