Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A washed-up '80s pop star gets a chance at a comeback when reigning pop diva Cora Corman invites him to write & record a duet with her, but there's a problem--Alex hasn't written a song in years; he's never written lyrics and he has to come up with a hit in a matter of days.
Music and Lyrics is a charming, well-executed romantic comedy elevated significantly by the chemistry between Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. The plot follows a fairly standard romcom structure with the meet-cute, conflict, and reconciliation beats all predictably in place — nothing surprising narratively. Grant is particularly delightful, leaning into his comedic timing with ease, while Barrymore brings warmth, though neither performance breaks new ground. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable, typical of mid-budget studio romcoms of the era. The film's novelty is modest — the 80s pop pastiche (the brilliant PoP! Goes My Heart music video) is a genuinely funny gag, but the overall premise and execution are fairly conventional romcom territory. The ending resolves neatly and satisfyingly within genre expectations without any real surprises. A crowd-pleasing, pleasant film that delivers exactly what it promises without transcending its formula.