Light Inoffensive Entertainment

Rating: 5/10 (11 March 2007)

One of the better Hugh Grant films, this frothy romp entertains without hitting any great heights.The synopsis of the plot is ;fading Eighties pop star and tune smith chances upon a lyricist/assistant plant waterer,they write a hit song and fall in love. And ,err, that really is about it.
Grant and Barrymore never truly convince as a love match whilst offering solid performances. Grant does deliver a credible pastiche as a washed up fading pop star which teeters occasionally at parodying his own fragile status as an A list film star.
The opening "Eighties" video is great fun and well executed, and dare I say it, nostalgic! The music throughout is true to the vintage - and pretty passable. Grant and Barrymore are credited with singing their own songs. But the huge giveaway is that Martin fry , of eighties "ABC" fame is credited with "additional vocals". I strongly suspect that he multi-tracked Grants vocals. Although Schlessinger, whose credentials I am unaware of, is credited with the music, i detect a strong Fry input into the end result.
At 104 minutes the film is probably 15 to 20 minutes overlong. A scene where Barrymore meets her ex lover in a restaurant fails badly and smacks of "filler". Speaking of which her make up in the same scene looks as though it has been done by a thirteen year old further damaging a flawed set piece.
Two supporting characters, those of Barrymore's film sister, and Cora, the Britney/Christina clone who commissions the song, excel and do much to assist a good, but limited , concept.