MUSIC AND LYRICS (2007) *** This is a great Barry Manilow song of a movie. Yes, I know that there are some so cool amongst us as to refuse to recognize any positive adjective, much less "great,"-which I assure you I use in the broadest sense-in the same sentence as Barry Manilow. But I am of the age when it wasn't unusual for a young fellow-even the coolest-to hear the saccharine sounds of "Mandy" or "Weekend in New England," and think of that girl who sat two rows up and a seat to the right or left, and feel the first inklings of something that we knew must be in some slight way akin to love or...even better (?!?)...sex. So this film's imbued, nay saturated, with something like that. Hugh Grant stars as the same character as always, this time a forgotten '80s bubblegum MTV phenom. Drew Barrymore keeps the first half of the film from utter disaster by being that winning, superficial version of herself; but with that smile that assures you that something wonderful must be going on, even if you can't, yourself, detect it. The portrayal of what the music industry has become (Haley Bennett is a wonderful embodiment of this, but her performance not quite as perfect as Kristen Johnston, who worships it)-the "biggest rock star in the world" playing Madison Square Garden, replete with everyone sitting in their assigned seats brings to mind just how great, brilliant, and powerful the Rolling Stones were at the height of their powers--when they brushed aside any such nonsense from the suits and presented "Cocksucker Blues" in final fulfillment of their indenturehood to their corporate masters at Decca. That's a helluva story-look it up-way better than this one, but this one makes you feel good, too, and that's nice.
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