Twice in two days was good.

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2007)

I saw this twice in as many days, once on cable TV and then on a flight. A fellow traveler and I laughed at the appropriate places; he was seeing it for the first time. I enjoyed it both times, and for a male that's saying something.
Hugh Grant as the "has-been" pop idol is a neat play on his real life ups and downs and ups. Drew Barrymore has come a long way since she showed David Letterman her chest as a birthday gift (and, I was watching the show that day.) So, 'redemption' hangs heavily in the air for both leads. Redemption is what the love-song of the title is about, equally for the songstress 'Cora' (Haley Bennett) for whom it's written; for the two leads' careers; for their relationship; for the goofy agent (Brad Garrett) who is trying to keep his client and the money-stream; for the gushy sister (Kristen Johnston) and her fading youth and so-so marriage; for the vacuousness and shallowness of the recording industry and its 'star' cycle; and so on.
The small-part players are well done. For instance, the DJ, Derek (Billy Griffith), comes across as not only a hanger-on.
The music is also a player. The three main songs ("Pop! Goes My Heart" the song under the titles, "Way Back Into Love" that is written in the movie, and "Don't Write Me Off" sung to win back the girl) are all good. I could sing them all after the movie had ended. Well done to their authors.
All this is dealt with in a quaintly unromantic way, while the romance takes another thread through the movie. The reality-meets-fantasy threads cancel out what could be sickly-sweet and make it a great watch, with a few things to think about on the way.
Marc Lawrence has written and then made a good vehicle for the talents in the movie, including his own.