"Ok...Pop Face!"

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2007)

I had been waiting to watch this movie. It's like the perfect romantic couple on screen; the king and the queen: Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. He is Alex, a 'has been' pop idol who now plays in high school reunions. She is Sophie, a woman who washes his plants and because of those things life has ends up writing a song with him
That's the plot line summarized. What can or will happen and if you can predict it or not depends on the posture you take when watching the film. I, a big fan of romantic comedies, just like to sit back and enjoy the ride, as I always say. If you are on the same group, you might just have a really good time on the whole; "Music & Lyrics" has all the formulaic elements and doesn't break any rule.
On the other hand, if you generally don't like these rides, luckily Marc Lawrence, the film's writer and director, has other things you may find interesting. For example, the culture references of the 80's and the contrast with the contemporary times, or the clear mockery towards the 'pop' groups of previous decades.
If you like music, you'll appreciate the musical knowledge, completely displayed in a scene where Hugh Grant records all the instruments of a song by himself; or the mentions to the musical poets: Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder. And if you like acting, it's impossible to reject these two giants of the genre creating magic together.
Okay, maybe Hugh Grant will never achieve again what he did with Julia Roberts and maybe there won't be another "Wedding Singer", but you can't deny the chemistry between the stars here. Grant is great as always, doing his role by heart with his usual charm and some newly incorporated facial expressions.
But the one who surprises this time is Barrymore. She is beautiful as always, that stays the same, but there's something different in her performance. Her Sophie is a character that stands in a different line from her work in "50 First Dates" and "Fever Pitch". She adds complexity to her silences and to her emotions, and it makes me long to see "Lucky You".
Of course that if you love music, good or bad, you'll feel and extra sentiment that goes beyond romance and comedy. But if you love comedy, I can assure you'll laugh a lot; and you'll fall in love if you are fond of romance.
All this said, I'll leave you with two things: it's not an impossible movie to miss if you don't have special reasons for watching it; and there's a teenage pop star, superbly played by Haley Bennett, who does things in a live stage that the music business wouldn't accept today. I mean, I haven't seen Lindsay Lohan or Hilary Duff reach those levelsAt least not yet.