Music and Lyrics (2007): C

Invention is in short supply in Music and Lyrics, a Hugh Grant-Drew Barrymore cute-fest that hews tediously close to the genre’s trademarks. Consequently, it delivers exactly what its undemanding audience craves, from Grant’s sarcastic, self-effacing litany of one-liners, to Barrymore’s flighty-yet-confident routine, to a story that offers some ‘80s nostalgia (here, centered around bubblegum synth-pop) and a couple of quirky comedic sidekicks for its reasonably engaging leads (Brad Garrett and Kristen Johnston). Once half of a popular Wham!-type music group, Alex Fletcher (Grant) is now a miserable has-been who pays his way by rehashing his old hits and hip-shaking moves at country fair and amusement park gigs. When a ludicrous Brittney Spears-style starlet (Haley Bennett) asks him to pen a new song for her forthcoming album, he finds himself at a literal loss for words until, by happy accident, he discovers that his new plant-waterer Sophie (Barrymore) has a gift for lyrics. So too does Music and Lyrics, which features a host of catchy original songs that help prop up the contrived plot and often excruciating zingers that endlessly spew forth from Grant’s mouth. Nonetheless, there’s far too little originality to these in-and-out-and-then-in-love-again proceedings to make the film anything other than a disposable rom-com triviality.