Music and Lyrics DVD box set: I need inspiration

Music and Lyrics DVD box set is a romantic comedy movie, which pairs Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore for the first time, opens with a pitch-perfect ‘80s-style music video for a catchy tune called “Pop! Goes My Heart,” featuring Grant sporting a bad Flock of Seagulls hairdo. It’s clever, playful and appealing… everything that the rest of the film is not.

The setup, at first glance, seems harmless enough: Grant plays fallen ‘80s pop star Alex Fletcher, a once-cool singer in tight pants who now, 15 years later, sings his old hits to crowds at theme parks. His career is going nowhere, as indicated by his offer to appear on a new show called Battle of the ‘80s Has-Beens, which displays boxing matches between washed-up singers. Tempting, but he clings onto what’s left of his dignity and turns it down.

While he’s home moping one day, he stumbles upon Sophie (Barrymore) temporarily watering his plants as a favor to her friend. She’s the type of cute, bumbling girl who always wanders into a guy’s life in movies when he’s down on his luck. In this case, she also happens to be a savvy lyricist. This comes in handy for Fletcher, a talented musician but lousy writer who is given a chance to create a hit song for pop sensation Cora Corman (Haley Bennett in her debut). It’s a great opportunity to resuscitate his career. And if he falls in love along the way, by golly, so be it.

In the film, Alex and Sophie collaborate, fall in love, fall out of love, and fall back in again. In short, Music and Lyrics offers a little something for everyone while, of course, playing up to the women who dominate romantic comedy audiences.