Music and Lyrics [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A professional collaboration between a popular lyricist and a washed-up musician takes a decidedly personal turn as the pair gradually finds their relationship developing into something much deeper in a romantic comedy directed by Marc Lawrence and starring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. Alex Fletcher (Grant) may have been all the rage in the 1980s, but these days he's lucky to get a gig playing at the local county fair. Just when it seems as if things couldn't get any more bleak for the dejected has-been rocker, reigning pop diva Cora Corman (Haley Bennett) offers Alex the opportunity of a lifetime -- write and record a duet to be sung with her and watch his career receive a much-needed boost as the nostalgia-crazed public laps it up. Little does Cora realize that not only has it been years since Alex has written a song, but he's never actually written a single lyric. Now, if he hopes to make the comeback needed to save him from a life of complete and utter obscurity, Alex will have to craft a radio-friendly hit in a matter of mere days. Luckily for Alex, his quirky plant-keeper Sophie Fisher (Barrymore) has quite a way with words and may possess just the kind of songwriting talent needed to make such a hit happen. Unfortunately the beguiling Sophie is still reeling from a recent break-up with newly famous novelist Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), and she isn't quite sure if she's ready for any kind of collaboration right now -- romantic or otherwise. Despite Alex's hesitation to commit and Sophie's reluctance to collaborate, the pair quickly discovers that a little chemistry can go a long way in healing the wounds of the past and laying the foundation for a much-deserved future of happiness and success. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Features:
  • Additional scenes
  • Gag reel
  • Noter for note: The making of Music and Lyrics
  • PoP! Goes My Heart music video

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Hugh Grant - Alex Fletcher
       Drew Barrymore - Sophie Fisher
       Brad Garrett - Chris Riley
       Kristen Johnston - Rhonda
       Haley Bennett - Cora Corman
       Aasif Mandvi - Khan
       Campbell Scott - Sloan Cates
       Jason Antoon - Greg Antonsky
       Matthew J. Morrison - Ray
       Scott Porter - Colin Thompson

• Director:

  Marc Lawrence

• Producer:

  Liz Glotzer, Martin Shafer

• Screenwriter:

  Marc Lawrence

• Cinematographer:

  Xavier Pérez Grobet

• Composer (Music Score):

  Adam Schlesinger

• Editor:

  Susan E. Morse

• Production Designer:

  Jane Musky

• Art Director:

  Patricia Woodbridge

• Co-producer:

  Melissa Wells, Scott Elias

• Executive Producer:

  Bruce Berman, Hal Gaba, Nancy Juvonen

• Costume Designer:

  Susan Lyall

• Set Decorator:

  Ellen Christiansen

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Danny Michael

• First Assistant Director:

  H.H. Cooper

• Casting:

  Ilene Starger

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Andy Kris, Michael Barry, Robert Schaper

• Supervising Sound Editor:

  Bob Hein

• Visual Effects:

  Brainstorm Digital

REVIEW:

• Marc Lawrence's Music and Lyrics works in large part because the original songs written for the film are as memorable and catchy as any real-life single -- making it pretty easy to accept that these are tunes topping the charts. From the opening video for the new wave era "Pop Goes My Heart," to the "Careless Whisper" knockoff "Meaningless Kiss," to the confessional, intimate love song at the end of the film, Lawrence makes the fictional world of Music and Lyrics pleasingly plausible because the songs always fit their time and place. A handful of songwriters pitched in to compose these tracks, but the standout is Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger -- who provided the same service in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do!, earning an Oscar nomination for writing the title track (one of the best rock songs ever composed for a movie). The uniformly excellent cast is headed by Hugh Grant, who can mix self-loathing with charm better than anyone else on the planet. He is ideally cast in the role of Alex Fletcher, an Andrew Ridgley-like figure eking out a living thanks to a wave of '80s nostalgia. Grant's nuanced performance conveys both Alex's embarrassment about singing these same songs decades after they were hits, while at the same time exuding the understandable pride he feels for having written such a memorable tune. Drew Barrymore makes a perfect fit for Grant as the sweet but insecure Sophie, creating a tonic for his sarcasm with her natural bubbliness. The two leads clearly know how to carry this kind of movie, and they also get some wonderful color from their supporting cast, including Brad Garrett as a loyal agent, Campbell Scott as Sophie's cold-hearted ex, and Haley Bennett in an impressive debut as a frighteningly plausible composite of every teen idol of the time. Lawrence and company find just enough notes of originality in the romantic comedy formula -- and they put in enough care and craftsmanship -- to make the movie thoroughly enjoyable. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi