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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Music and Lyrics
Take one “has been” pop star and add one spunky girl and put them together and you have the recipe for a delightful comedy. Hugh Grant stars as Alex Fletcher, who was on top of the charts with his band in the 1980’s, but since then he has been singing his old hits at state fairs and private engagements. Drew Barrymore is Sophie Fisher, a somewhat quirky girl who meets Alex when she fills in for her friend taking care of people’s plants. They meet when he is in the middle of trying to write the next big hit for a Britney-esque singer. Without thinking about it, Sophie starts making up lyrics as she waters the plants and in no time Alex persuades her to be his new partner. Together they will try to write a big hit – in less than a week. That is all the time allotted to them by Cora Corman (Haley Bennett) who wants one final song for her new album. There’s no pressure here – except for the fact that if they succeed, Alex would no longer be a “has been” and will be able to restart his career, and Sophie would have something to hold up to her former boyfriend who wrote a best-seller novel about a girl who is basically a loser. This book has haunted her for a long time, as she was the inspiration for it!
Through the next few days Sophie and Alex try to write the perfect song, while getting to know each other at the same time. Grant and Barrymore are wonderful together and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. “Hugh is a tremendous comedian and he’s incredibly charming,” Barrymore says about her costar. “His acting has an old-fashioned, beautiful quality.” Grant is equally as complimentary about her, saying, “Drew brings a charm to any role. She’s so clever and, apart from being a brilliant actress, she’s also a very good bloke.” That’s a big compliment from the Brit.
Brad Garrett plays Alex’s manager who has faith that his client will succeed. He even promises Alex that if he writes a great song, he’ll be able to book him into Disneyland, which is a big step up from the places he’s been performing.
The film is one laugh after another as the two try to get through their daily lives while still writing a gold record. “I read a lot of romantic comedies and there are very few that make me laugh out loud on the page. This one did,” Grant exclaims. And the audience will be laughing as well.
“There’s a style to this movie that’s refreshing,” says Barrymore. Just the fact that these two characters are working together is fun enough, but add the fact that they also sing – yes they do sing – and in Grant’s case, even dance, makes this film a pure delight.
And when you go to the theater, stay through the ending credits. Even those are funny!
Music and Lyrics is rated PG-13 and runs 96 minutes. The movie opens February 14 and is a wonderful Valentine. It’s a funny Valentine. It’s the perfect Valentine. It’s fun, witty, and completely enjoyable.
© 2007 Francine Brokaw
All pictures ©Warner Bros. Pictures & Village Roadshow Pictures. Photo: Gene Page. All Rights Reserved.
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