Music and Lyrics
Short description
Alex Fletcher was a pop star in the 1980s, but his fame has faded and he now performs at fairs, hotels and amusement parks for audiences nostalgic for his old hits. When the current pop sensation Cora Corman invites him to write and record a duet for her new album, he sees a chance to return to the spotlight. The offer comes with a tight deadline, and while the music itself is no problem for him, he has never written lyrics and cannot produce a song in time on his own.
Sophie Fisher, who tends his plants, turns out to have a gift for words, and he persuades her to help him. She has recently come out of a bad relationship and is reluctant at first, but the two work together on the song and gradually grow closer. Marc Lawrence wrote and directed the film, his second feature after Two Weeks Notice in 2002, followed later by Did You Hear About the Morgans?. Hugh Grant plays Alex and Drew Barrymore plays Sophie, with Brad Garrett, Haley Bennett and Aasif Mandvi in supporting roles.
Made for a budget of 40 million dollars, the film took 146 million dollars worldwide, a solid return. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from around 111,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.4 out of 10 from a much smaller number of users. A critics' rating of 6.1 out of 10 from 167 reviews places it close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's mother taught Hugh Grant to play the piano. A long time has passed since then, and Hugh has completely forgotten what he learned. He resumed piano lessons before the start of filming.
- There used to be a band called “Pop!” in Britain.
- Adam Schlesinger, who composed the title track for “That Thing You Do!”, wrote most of the songs for the film.
- The plot about the differing fates of two leaders of a popular band is based on the story of Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. While Michael achieved significant success in a solo music career, Ridgeley (like Hugh Grant’s character) was not as fortunate.
- In the original version, Sophie asks Alex if he has a watering can, and also talks about an eighty-year-old German man who scolded her. In the German dubbed version, it concerns an eighty-year-old Frenchman.
- During the film's premiere in Amsterdam, a woman, claiming to be a reporter, handcuffed her hand to Hugh Grant's. Hugh had no choice but to walk the red carpet with her.
- The initial title of the film was “Author of Words and Music – …” (English: Music and Lyrics By...), which was later changed to “Words and Music” (English: Music and Lyrics).
- Hugh Grant's character was voiced in the Russian version by the well-known singer-songwriter Alexei Ivashchenko (a member of the duo "Ivasi"). He also wrote and performed the Russian lyrics for the film's songs.
- The promotional trailer includes several scenes that are not in the film: — a doorman opens the door for Alex. — during the "Battle of the 80s Idols" interview, Alex says that "PoP" broke up in 1992, so he should participate in the "Battle of the 90s Idols".
- Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant both perform the vocal parts for their characters.
- Martin Fry, a member of the 1980s pop group “ABC”, taught Hugh Grant to sing and dance.
- Scenes inside "Madison Square Garden" were filmed at "Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum".
- While Alex and Sophie are discussing Alex’s solo album in the store, "Radiation Vibe" by "Fountains of Wayne" is playing in the background.
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