Music and Lyrics
Hugh Grant makes self-abasement sexy. Perfectly cast as a forgotten 80s pop star — think Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! — he continues to slip on the leather pants to perform at reunions and amusement parks, and Grant suggests an artist who genuinely delights in phoning it in. Maybe there’s a tad of autobiography at play in this attitude, because Grant makes acting in cotton-candy romantic comedies look so effortless. He balances out the cuteness with his arid wit and muted irony. Grant sets aside his signature stammer for “Music and Lyrics” because his character is so comfortable in his own skin.
Drew Barrymore proves an able, if uninspired, love interest for Grant in a movie that passes the time amiably but does little to invigorate the rom-com formula. It’s a bit draggy, with the classic three-act structure readily apparent. You’re always a couple steps ahead of the story. Barrymore plays a struggling writer who waters Grant’s plants; he discovers she has an offhand knack for composing pop lyrics and enlists her to help him write a song for a teen pop princess (Haley Bennett). First they’re simpatico; then they have an art-vs.-commerce spat; you get the idea. Writer-director Marc Lawrence is at his best when he simultaneously mocks and celebrates popular music. Grant eloquently defends the poetry of the Temptations’ “My Girl,” and the vintage videos for his old band, PoP!, are done with flair. The songs themselves hold up well, too. As with a good pop song, the makers of “Music and Lyrics” put a lot of creativity and spirit into a sweet and disposable final product.