Music and Lyrics 2007
This movie plays like a copy of a copy of a copy of everything Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore have ever done. Hugh Grant does the stammering, suave, self-deprecating, witty Brit. Barrymore plays the big-eyed sweetheart looking for love and afraid of getting hurt. But we’ve been here before with more inspired performances and better writing. The movie is still watchable as a cute romantic comedy. And the idea of a washed-up 80’s music writer looking for someone to inspire him with great lyrics is interesting. The side stuff with Grant being an idol to women in their 40’s is pretty funny along with all the easy pokes at 80’s music and videos. But Hugh Grant, who has pretty limited range, is out of his element here, and even when he tries to fall back on his stammering witticisms, he falls flat. Many, many of the jokes fall flat. Some work, but it feels like a TV sitcom where every side character has to be colorful (painfully so, sometimes) and every line has to have some zing to it. The only thing missing is a laugh track to cue you in to what is supposed to be funny.
If you want something lite and cute, this will work, but this movie should be appearing on cross-country airplane flights very soon. I’ll give this a C-.