Hugh Grant can sing? Who knew? I mean, if Paris Hilton can make a record I guess ANYBODY can but Hugh has a fine voice and in his new movie, "Music & Lyrics," he nails his part as an 80s ex-popstar (think Wham! and Hugh is the other dude). Went to an advance screening of the movie with my pal Mariel the other night and as we were walking out of the theater, we looked at each other and said almost at the same time: "I really liked that!" The 80s MTV video parodies were spot on and during the credits there is a funny pop-up video you won;t want to miss.
There's nothing gay about the movie - not that there's anything WRONG with that - but Hugh has played gay a few times ("Maurice" and "Our Sons") so he's got enough gay cred to be reviewed in "Out In Hollywood." To me, this was his most appealing performance since the wonderful "About A Boy" maybe four years ago.
And then there is Drew Barrymore. The adorable, cute, sweet and funny Drew. She is very good in the movie and she and Grant have enough chemistry to make it work although not at the level that Drew has with Adam Sandler ("The Wedding Singer" "50 First Dates") or that Hugh had with Julia Roberts in "Notting Hill."
In this film, Hugh plays a washed-up pop star who's been reduced to working the nostalgia circuit at county fairs and amusement parks. He gets a chance at a comeback when reigning diva Cora Corman invites him to write and 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. Enter Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), Alex's quirky plant lady, whose flair for words strikes a chord with the struggling songwriter.
They have their ups, their downs and it's all very enjoyable. A real comedy highlight is any scene with Kristin Johnsion in it. I never watched "3rd Rock From the Sun" but I'll never forget when she fell out of that window during season 6 of "Sex and the City."
The movie opens on Valentine's Day. I predict it will make tons of money.