I was fortunate enough to be a child of the late- eighties, preferring Sesame Street to most of the hideously dressed bands of the decade. But to my benefit, VH1 has done at least a million tributes to 80ís bands, so although I wasnít able to experience the phenomenon in person, I can at least reflect upon what this era must have been like.
In Music & Lyrics, Hugh Grant is Alex Fletcher, an 80ís pop singer has-been. His group, in fact, was called ìPopî ‚ and we are introduced to the very black, white, and pink color trend that accompanied most bands from that age. Fletcher is surprisingly very realistic in his self-perception, knowing he canít ride on his fame from 25 years ago. He graciously accepts gigs at twenty-year reunions and state fairs.

His luck changes when Cora Corman (Haley Bennett), the hottest current pop singer on the planet and admiring fan from the past, asks Fletcher to write her newest hit. He unsuccessfully teams up with a few lyricists along the way, and during a writing session, coincidently hears his ìplant girlî Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) coming up with her own lyrics as she moves about his house watering his. Suddenly Alex latches on to Sophie, his new muse, and they work tirelessly around the clock to get Cora her new song, and also Alexís career back on track. We see a romantic connection emerge slowly along the way, and Sophie ensuring the pace remains slow. Recently heart-broken over a former professor, she is insecure and untrusting.

Through sleepless nights and crazy days, they complete the song in the eleventh hour, and Cora is thrilled with their masterpiece. She invites them into her pop-star lifestyle, which is an eclectic mix of all forms of culture and sex appeal. It may not be a perfect place for Alex and Sophie, but the worlds of all three artists collide into an unforgettable work of art.

I was surprisingly impressed with the believability of Hugh Grant as a washed up pop-star. His character was humble and sensitive. Drew Barrymore conveyed her low self-esteem and fear perfectly through the screen. Music & Lyrics wasnít a typical ìromantic comedyî but more of a ìcomical romanceî as the comedy definitely took precedence. It was sweet and lighthearted throughout, but not to sappy, so itís definitely wonít push too much estrogen on the male audience.

Music & Lyrics earns a strong 3.5 out of 5 plastic plants, and would be a �great Valentineís Day date. Guys, I promise you wonít hate it.
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Anne is a writer, artist & coffee addict who lives with her husband and two emotionally unstable cats in the Dallas area. She works at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall and in her free time enjoys badly impersonating foreign accents, photography, and eating anything chocolate. You can reach Anne on her blog at Flowerdust.net.

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