MUSIC & LYRICS

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual implications, immodest clothing

Rated:

It's rare that a film can be both funny (without insulting your intelligence) and romantic, but Music & Lyrics is one of those occasional glimpses of brilliance. It's a delight from beginning to end, and its leading stars have a surprisingly poignant chemistry with one another, in a story that is a bit fairy tale in its conception but is ultimately about human nature.

Twenty years have passed since the band Pop! has had a big hit. Known for their hip thrusts and wild hairstyles, the group has not been heard of since its lead singer took off with most of the material he co-wrote with buddy and fellow musician Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) and became a big time soloist. Alex, by contrast, is reliving the past through the occasional guest appearances at state fairs and '80's graduation reunions. His big chance at starting anew comes when pop blonde bombshell Cora (Haley Bennett) asks him to write her a new song for her tour. He only has a few days to come up with something that she might like, while he has not written anything substantial lyrics-wise in a number of years. Enter Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), a once-writer whose spirit was crushed by a vengeful ex-lover and wanders into Alex's life one afternoon to water his house plants.

Unintentionally, Alex discovers she is a born lyricist and attempts to persuade her to assist him in writing the perfect song. Encouraged on by her older sister, who is an enormous fan of Pop!, Sophie reluctantly agrees, little realizing that she will encounter past ghosts along the way. The result is a surprisingly sweet movie that is both easy on the eyes and the mind, but is by no means shallow. It does poke a hefty amount of fun at pop groups, and its booty shimmying Cora is a jab at the likes of Britney Spears. It's the kind of chick flick that leaves you with a smile on your face, and is surprisingly light on offensive elements. I don't think there's a single profanity in the entire film.

There is the sad implication that Alex and Sophie spend the night together; we see them passionately kissing and then waking up under a blanket beneath his grand piano. Sophie was involved in a relationship with one of her professors at college, not realizing he was engaged to be married. He turned around and wrote a scandalous book strongly based on their affair, insisting that she seduced him rather than the other way around. Sophie wears a revealing borrowed dress to confront him. The worst aspect of the film is Cora. She wears extremely skimpy outfits on stage at her concerts, and in a music video shown being filmed. She and her fellow male dancers rub against one another. Sophie describes her rendition of a song as "an orgasm to Indian music," due to all the moaning. If it weren't for this aspect, I'd describe it as a great date flick -- but not unless you want your boyfriend ogling a scantily-clad performer.

One of the running gags is the way Alex dances, with a lot of hip thrusts (he once dislocates his hip). Screaming fan girls try and touch his backside at a concert performance. That being said, as a girl I very much enjoyed it. I'm not an enormous fan of Hugh Grant, but he was charming in this film and his level of charisma with Drew surprised me. I liked how they learned to support one another, but Sophie was not afraid to state her true opinion when it came to things that mattered. It's rare that two characters bond and improve one another, since Alex brings out her bold desire to become someone of importance, and she makes him realize that money and fame are not all that matters. It's mostly good stuff.