Brilliant.

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2008)

I completely wasn't ready to like this movie. I've been in the business of steadfastly disliking Hugh Grant, despite his endearing turn in Notting Hill, and the plot synopsis sounded gimmicky and not very promising.
What a pleasant surprise. For anyone who grew up listening to '80s music and watching '80s MTV videos, Hugh Grant's band Pop! is every '80s music cliché on earth brought charmingly to life. They're clearly channeling Wham! and doing a very entertaining job of it. The '80s music and dancing alone are worth the price of admission. Dead-on dancing, music videos and songwriting.
Apart from that, Drew Barrymore is always likable, and Hugh Grant refreshingly refrained from his usual hair-flopping, nervous-tic hand-wringing mannerisms. The guy has to be one hell of a good sport to have made this movie, and he nailed this character.
Even my husband loved it, and he hates chick movies. Do give it a look if it comes up on cable. It was surprisingly good.