Music and Lyrics
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Marc Lawrence |
| Products | Musical romantic comedy-drama film |
Music and Lyrics is a 2007 American musical romantic comedy-drama crafted and helmed by Marc Lawrence. The narrative follows the developing connection between a former pop star from the fictional group PoP! and an emerging lyricist as they join forces to create a song for a top-charting pop sensation.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 14, 2007, the movie garnered generally favorable reviews, with particular acclaim directed at Grant's acting and the musical sequences, although some reviewers criticized it for being somewhat straightforward. It achieved a worldwide box office total of $145.9 million against a production budget of $40 million.
Plot
Alex Fletcher, once a member of the British 1980s hit band PoP!, has since faded from mainstream success, now performing mostly at nostalgic events and local fairs. When superstar Cora Corman commissions him to compose a track titled "Way Back Into Love," Alex hesitates because he used to depend on his former bandmate Colin for lyrics. Encouraged by his manager Chris to seize this chance to revive his career, he agrees.
Following an unproductive session with an arrogant lyricist, Alex discovers that Sophie, who tends to his plants, possesses songwriting ability. With only 48 hours left to meet the deadline, he convinces her to collaborate. During their work, Alex confides that Colin betrayed him by stealing songs for his solo career, while Sophie reveals she stopped writing after a painful breakup with her English professor Sloan Cates, who based a shallow character in his novel on her.
They complete the song just in time for Cora. At a celebratory dinner, Sophie runs into Sloan and feels uneasy; Alex stands up for her, resulting in a physical confrontation. They retreat to Alex’s apartment where their relationship deepens.
Cora debuts their song in an extravagant Bollywood-inspired version that conflicts with its original style. Sophie privately expresses her concerns; however, Cora declines alterations but requests an additional verse overnight. This leads to friction between Alex and Sophie; she accuses him of compromising his integrity, while he criticizes her past choices. Their partnership ends when Sophie independently submits the new verse to Cora.
As Sophie prepares to relocate to Florida, she attends Cora’s concert at Madison Square Garden. During the show, Cora credits only Alex for the song’s creation, leaving Sophie heartbroken and prompting her to leave early. In response, Alex performs an original heartfelt ballad asking for forgiveness. Touched by this gesture, Sophie joins him backstage where he reveals he persuaded Cora to abandon the provocative arrangement in order to win Sophie back. They reconcile and perform “Way Back Into Love” as originally intended.
The film closes by showing “Way Back Into Love” becoming a hit for both Cora and Alex; Sloan’s novel adaptation fails; PoP! is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame following Colin’s injury; and Alex and Sophie continue their fruitful songwriting collaboration on Alex's new solo album featuring five successful singles.
Cast
- Hugh Grant as Alex Fletcher, former pop icon and ex-member of British band "PoP!" (modeled after Wham! and Duran Duran)
- Drew Barrymore as Sophie Fisher
- Brad Garrett as Chris Riley, manager of Alex
- Kristen Johnston as Rhonda Fisher, Sophie's sister
- Haley Bennett as Cora Corman, an emerging pop star who hires Alex
- Aasif Mandvi as Khan, caretaker of Alex's apartment
- Campbell Scott as Sloan Cates
- Jason Antoon as Greg Antonsky
- Matthew Morrison as Ray, manager of Cora
- Scott Porter as Colin Thompson
- Zak Orth as David Newbert
- Adam Grupper as Gary, Sophie's brother-in-law
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 63% approval rating based on 169 reviews, with an average rating of 6 out of 10. The site's consensus describes Music & Lyrics as a charming and enjoyable romantic comedy, largely buoyed by the appeal of its lead actors. Hugh Grant’s musical performances are particularly noted as standout moments. Meanwhile, Metacritic assigns the film a score of 59 out of 100 from 30 critics, reflecting "mixed or average reviews." According to audience feedback collected by CinemaScore, viewers awarded it a "B" grade.
A.O. Scott from The New York Times remarked that the film provides "gentle amusement and straightforward emotion," complimenting director Marc Lawrence’s satirical approach to music-video aesthetics and the creative synergy between the main characters. He praised Grant’s role but observed it lacked some of the sharpness found in his earlier work.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle applauded Lawrence’s dialogue-driven romantic comedy style, emphasizing extended scenes that foster character depth and chemistry between Grant and Barrymore. He also acknowledged the film’s witty yet authentic portrayal of pop music industry dynamics.
Todd McCarthy of Variety characterized the film as a conventional romantic narrative with few surprises but recognized its lively pace and engaging performances, especially appealing to female audiences and couples seeking lighthearted fare. He suggested that more focused direction might have enhanced the film’s rhythm.
Conversely, Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian assigned it two stars out of five, describing it as a "moderately charming but somewhat lackluster romcom." Philip French of The Observer noted that although Grant delivers moments of humor, overall the movie "drags along."
Box office
The film premiered in the UK and Ireland on February 9, 2007, debuting at number one with £1.93 million during its opening weekend. It was released across 2,955 screens in the United States and Canada on February 14, generating $13.6 million in its initial weekend and ranking fourth behind Ghost Rider, Bridge to Terabithia, and Norbit. The movie ultimately grossed $50.6 million domestically and $95.3 million internationally, culminating in a worldwide total of $145.9 million.
Soundtrack
Music and Lyrics: Music from the Motion Picture was issued by Atlantic Records on February 13, 2007. Featuring vocal contributions from stars Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, and Haley Bennett, the album climbed to number five on the Billboard Top Soundtracks Chart and reached number 63 on the Billboard 200. It also attained position 93 on Australia's Albums Chart.
It is worth noting that "Invincible" by Haley Bennett and "Work to Do" by folk group America, both played during the film’s closing credits, were not included on the soundtrack release. Vocal coach Martin Fry from pop band ABC provided training to Hugh Grant for his singing performances.
Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriters | CD Credit | Film Credit | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "PoP! Goes My Heart" | Andrew Wyatt (credited as A. Blakemore), Alanna Vicente | All instruments performed by Andrew Wyatt; Vocals by Hugh Grant and Andrew Wyatt | Hugh Grant | 3:16 |
| 2 | "Buddha's Delight (studio)" | Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, Henrik Jonback, A. Blakemore, Marc Lawrence | Vocals by Haley Bennett; Background vocals by Lucy Woodward | Haley Bennett | 2:47 |
| 3 | "Meaningless Kiss" | Adam Schlesinger | Saxophone by Jack Bashkow; Background vocals by Martin Fry | Hugh Grant | 3:49 |
| 4 | "Entering Bootytown" | Andrew Wyatt (as A. Blakemore) | All instruments performed by Andrew Wyatt; Vocals by Haley Bennett | Haley Bennett | 3:24 |
| 5 | "Way Back into Love (Demo Mix)" | Adam Schlesinger | All instruments played by Adam Schlesinger; Vocals by Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant | Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant | 4:12 |
| 6 | "Tony the Beat" | Jesper Anderberg, Johan Bengtsson, Maja Ivarsson, Frederik Nilsson, Felix Rodriguez | Performed by The Sounds | The Sounds | 3:10 |
| 7 | "Dance With Me Tonight" | Clyde Lawrence | Introduction by Clyde Lawrence; Vocals by Hugh Grant and Andrew Wyatt; Saxophone by Sam Albright | Hugh Grant | 3:00 |
| 8 | "Slam" | Andrew Wyatt (as A. Blakemore), Marc Lawrence | Vocals by Haley Bennett; Background vocals by Andrew Wyatt | Haley Bennett | 3:48 |
| 9 | "Don't Write Me Off" | Adam Schlesinger | Piano played by Adam Schlesinger; Vocals by Hugh Grant | Hugh Grant | 2:30 |
| 10 | "Way Back into Love (unlive)" | Adam Schlesinger | All instruments performed by Adam Schlesinger; Vocals by Hugh Grant and Haley Bennett; Background vocals by Britta Phillips and Kelly Jones | Haley Bennett, Hugh Grant | 4:37 |
| 11 | "Different Sound" | Teddybears | Vocals performed by Malte Holmberg (Sweden) | Teddybears | 3:23 |
| 12 | "Love Autopsy (studio)" | Marc Lawrence | Piano performed by Michael Rafter; Vocals by Hugh Grant | Hugh Grant | 0:40 |
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Source | Highest ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | Media Control | 21 |
| French Albums Chart | SNEP/IFOP | 118 |
| German Albums Chart | Media Control | 26 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 21 | |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | Billboard | 63 |
Home media
The movie became available on DVD starting May 8, 2007, followed by a Blu-ray release on June 12, 2007.
External links
- 2007 romantic comedy films
- 2007 films
- American musical comedy films
- American romantic comedy films
- Castle Rock Entertainment films
- Films about music and musicians
- Films directed by Marc Lawrence
- Films with screenplays by Marc Lawrence
- Films set in New York City
- Village Roadshow Pictures films
- Warner Bros. films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2000s American films
- English-language romantic comedy films