An entertaining film thanks to the natural chemistry between Barrymore and Grant

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2007)

Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), a has-been '80s pop star is given the chance to write a song for a reigning pop diva, but having not written a hit song in years, he needs help with the lyrics. Along comes Sophie Fischer (Drew Barrymore), a quirky florist whose knack for words makes her the perfect collaborator for writing a song that can help revive Alex's career.
Generally, romantic comedies aren't my favorite genre because most of the time the two leading stars lack a certain chemistry to make predictable material seem interesting. Fortunately, Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore are great together and watching them on screen was pretty entertaining. The material was of course rather stale yet there were still plenty of interesting scenes and moments so the film never managed to get dull.
The premise was actually pretty good and the music video that opens the film was great. I loved the way it spoofed all those cheesy styles from the 80's. Beyond the premise and the opening scene, things were pretty standard which is okay because the cast was strong. Director and screenwriter Marc Lawrence was just doing his usual tricks. If you have seen "Two Weeks Notice" or "Miss Congeniality" then you should expect the same type of humor. I kind of wish he would add a little more edge to the material but still quite a decent screenplay.
Hugh Grant was giving his routine performance although it still worked fine. Drew Barrymore was also pretty good and she had many funny lines. Most people I know can't stand her at all but I usually find her pretty charming. Kristen Johnston was great and I hope to see more of her in the future because after her show was ended, she seemed to have disappeared. The rest of the cast gave acceptable performances except for Haley Bennett who was quite annoying and her character got old very fast. Overall, Music and Lyrics is nothing mind-blowing but it is a fun little flick that's worth checking out. Rating 7/10