Music and Lyrics

The funny things was, when they started playing Pop, Goes My heart at the beginning of the movie, I kept thinking they were re-creating an 80s song. I'm sure I've heard the song before because the moment the started playing, it all sounded familiar. I was even able to sing along with a few lines. I was sure it was a real 80s song they probably borrowed for this film. I was pleasantly surprised that the song really originated from the movie. That just shows how popular the movie was here. I knew the song Way Back Into Love came from the movie (although I did find out after quite some time). I was under the impression that it was the only song that came from the movie. Anyway, I just thought I'd start this off with this.

Music and Lyrics was a 2007 drama-comedy movie starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Another interesting fact, apparently the stars of the film did their own singing in the movie. That was impressive. Part of the cast were Haley Bennett, Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston, Matthew Morrison, Campbell Scott, and Scott Porter. It was written and directed by Marc Lawrence while the music was created by Adam Schlesinger. The movie did just ok in the United states but it did rather well in the other markets, earning almost twice as much as it did in its domestic market.

The movie was quite enjoyable even though it never took off for me. It didn't have a drastic progression that I look for in movies most of the time. This time the movie was just simple and it stayed simple throughout the movie. The movie was a formulaic one as well, and it followed a generally used plot line. Also, I'm not sure what it was, but there was a scene that seemed quite awkward that it was really hard for it to be believable. I guess those were the main issues of the film. To be honest, even with these issues, it was still a pretty good movie. Maybe it's because I haven't seen a movie in over a week that watching this made me appreciate just how much I like watching movies.

What made it work, however, was Schlesinger's magic with music. His compositions were enough to carry the movie and make it a hit worldwide. The melody and words of Way Back Into Love was carefully crafted and it was obvious time and effort were put into it. It's also funny how the same man wrote the other songs in the movie like Don't Write Me Off and Meaningless Kiss. I really thought that the music was the movie's strongest point.

It also helped that Grant and Barrymore were in synced when it came to the dynamics that should be presented by the odd partners. There was a time when these two didn't seem as connected as they were in the other parts of the movie, but that was probably an editing issue more than anything cause throughout the film, both of them displayed a significant amount of chemistry. Haley Bennett was a star in the film as well with her zen quirks and smoking performances. She was definitely shining and she made her presence in the movie known. Kristen Johnston also made her mark. While she didn't have much to do, she did everything she did exceptionally. It was funny and awesome.

While the movie won't be at the top of my list of movies to recommend, I definitely wouldn't stop you from doing so. It's a movie to appreciate movie, the struggle of making a song, and the interaction of people in general. It had great insights and occasionally hilarious lines. It was quite enjoyable, actually. Go ahead and watch it if these things appeal to you. They sure do to me. Plus, it was a delight to see Grant, Barrymore and Bennett sing.

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