Music and Lyrics

Director: Marc Lawrence

Starring: Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore

Music and Lyrics is about music, showbiz, relationships and trust. It's a must for fans of Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, and simple, enjoyable viewing for anyone less fanatical. Its story of love growing out of a chance meeting might sound old hat, but it's more complicated than it first seems. Drew Barrymore is well-cast as a scatty, neurotic housekeeper with a surprising talent for writing lyrics and a tendency to kill houseplants. Yet Hugh Grant's portrayal of the aging rocker is so accurate you won't be able to stop smiling. Nor will you want to. The blend of his witty cynicism and painful self-awareness of the dire straits his pop career is in makes for a touching and genuinely amusing character, helped by dialogue that sparkles at least in places. Sharp one-liners and comic exchanges are delivered expertly. The glam-but-tacky feel of 80s pop is faithfully reproduced, from the synth-tastic melodies to the unbelievably glib lyrics, and starkly contrasted with what many see as today's music scene; celebrity-bound, sexy and shallow.

The whole film is a kind of suspension of disbelief; it's sometimes overblown, sometimes a little clichéd, but throughout, you will want to believe it. That is Marc Lawrence's real achievement; the way he captures the subtlety of the lead pair's relationship. The games they play, the twists and turns, winning and losing one another all feels curiously real in a way that the average rom-com never quite gets a grip on. The convincing 80s pop parodies, accomplished supporting cast and twisty plotlines all contribute to the overall effect, but the truth is that all eyes will be on Grant and Barrymore; they make the film, and that's not a bad thing.

Pete Fossey