Music and Lyrics

Music and Lyrics (2007)

HBO On Demand, Seattle, WA

January 01, 2008

** 1/2 / ****

by Scott Muoio

Poor Andrew Ridgley. I wonder if Andrew ever imagined that some 20 years after his successful stint as “the other guy” in the George Michael musical vehicle, Wham! that a movie would be made all about him. In the irony drenched, ‘80s obsessed new millennium it should come as no surprise that The Andrew Ridgley Story has finally come to the big screen; it is called Music and Lyrics. Starring Hugh Grant as A.R., and without a whiff of George Michael, this is a tale that needed to be told, or not. No matter, here it is anyway and really, it isn’t too bad at all.

Music and Lyrics tells the story of a happy-go-lucky musical has-been, Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant). Somewhat satisfied touring the lower 48 states’ least noteworthy musical venues (theme parks, reunion parties, etc.) Alex suddenly finds himself on the cusp of a potential resurgence by way of a possible duet with teenie bop maven Cora (Haley Bennett). Looking to go retro, Cora requisitions Alex to write and record an entire demo for a brand new song she has envisioned entitled Way Back Into Love in 36 hours or less. The only problem: Alex can’t write song lyrics, only melodies. Enter part-time plant-waterer (I’m not making this up!), Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore). Sophie is a goofy, dunderheaded lady with a penchant for clever word play, but only when her attention deficit fits subside. The two eventually converge at Alex’s grand piano and slowly but surely pound out the tune amongst a handful of side stories involving siblings, a silly manager (Brad Garrett), and a self-obsessed former mentor of Sophie’s who took advantage of her by using her story as fodder for a “fictional” best seller (never mind that particular tangent!). It all adds up to film whose best moments are surprisingly clever and rewarding but whose lows are lamentably poor and mechanical, especially on the romantic comedy tip.

The best of Music and Lyric does a good job to keep us interested in the story and its characters throughout. The funniest parts involve the giggle inducing humour that begins with a faux ‘80s music video, crescendos with Grant’s off-the-cuff comedy nuggets, and soars with the excellent music courtesy of Fountains of Wayne front man, Adam Schlesinger’s pop mastery. There isn’t very much that actually happens in the film, and the romantic chemistry between Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore isn’t really all that, but through Grant’s sheer likeability and romantic comedy force of will the movie is better than you might think. Grant’s Alex is very realistic for what he is, and in his forthright comments, especially in his critique of Barrymore’s Sophie, shockingly right on the money. When he finally lays into her for her dunderheaded idealism it is he whom we end up siding with rather than her, and although this may not be the intended effect of the bru-ha-ha by writer/director Marc Lawrence it still works for the film, one way or the other. The ending, which travels a somewhat typical though surprising direction (we actually expect something more than we are actually given, how’s that for strange?), sadly makes little sense in the context of where it should go but it is enough to satisfy, albeit very unrealistically. If only the film accepted that it was a slapstick comedy rather than a romantic comedy than it could have been really good. Given the shoe horning that takes place, it still isn’t too bad at all.

The best part of Music and Lyrics is perfectly cast Hugh Grant. With his fine comic touch and off-the-cuff zingers I suspect any guy or gal who watches this film will be able to laugh along with his witty, self-deprecating humour. Women, however, may be especially disappointed, not in Grant, but in the rather lame character the script forces Barrymore to assume. Her Sophie is a lady who is almost everything other characters accuse her of being: flighty, misguided, stubborn, and kind of annoying and aggravating and Barrymore has loads of trouble getting her to warm our hearts. Throw in a Barrymore sister character (Kristen Johnston) who is a loudmouthed jerk, especially to her kind and caring husband, and the Shakira-like Cora, who is as silly as they come, and you’ve got an awfully lousy female triumvirate on your hands.

Still, Music and Lyrics defies its shortcomings with cleverness, wit, and an ability to be more than a romantic comedy cliché, even if it does turn to them when it loses its way. Strangely, this film reminded me of the 2003 Cheaper By the Dozen remake: not quite what it should be, a bit silly in what it is, but nevertheless even more entertaining than it has any right to be. Music and Lyrics is a pretty crappy romantic comedy, in the strict sense of the genre, but it is clever in its original song writing, mocking touch of has-beens from the 1980s, and in the end just plain fun, something movies these days are sadly lacking.