Pop culture cheese + catchy tunes

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2007)

Okay, so this is not high-brow art-house cinema. It's stars Hugh Grant as an aging '80s pop star from the cheesy and over-the-top band, POP!. Drew Barrymore stars as his substitute plant lady turned lyricist.
If you can get past the cheesy hilarity, there are a few humorous critiques of modern pop culture: the obsession with "B" stars, the "spirituality" of pop singer Cora (who references Britney and Christina) is particularly biting.
The main bit of the movie is the muddled, innocent art of good songwriting. There's sweet, but overdone bits about being yourself and finding your true calling and all that jazz.
Grant shines as an aging pop star in tight pants. His signature self-effacing humor plays large here, but as always it's endearing. Barrymore doesn't seem to put her whole heart into the character, whose odd foibles (like her germaphobia and the fact that she cares for other people's plants on a temporary basis) are never fully explained.
Overall, "Music & Lyrics" is entirely predictable, but a fun and funny romantic comedy that's worth a rent.