Sorry, this movie sucks

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Love the film. But, it has one scene (breakfast) which must have been filmed when the continuity person was terminated and before the new person was hired.Watch the scene. It was shot at least three times (possibly four) and cut together. Watch the plates, glasses, hands, sitting forward or sitting back, etc. All of this is screen center and by the primaries, not atmosphere. Seriously funny to watch. The largest number of continuity errors I have ever seen in a single scene.Other than that, the overall film is a fun watch.Oh, and don't stop watching... the story continues through the credit roll.

Hugh Grant acquits himself admirably in this half-hearted music biz satire-cum-romantic comedy, which has too many targets, too few jokes and totally unreal characters. A 1980s pop music has-been, a singer/keyboardist once part of a bubblegum outfit called PoP, has recently been commissioned to write a song for the reigning teen-queen on the charts; he likes the randomly delivered lyrics thought up by his substitute 'plant waterer' and they form a songwriting partnership. Drew Barrymore's gregarious personality would appear to be the perfect counterpoint to Grant's dry witticisms, but the dim brand of 'cute' writing here leaves Barrymore stranded. She attempts to fall back on her patented charm and pluck, yet this is the kind of silly screenplay wherein her Sophie Fisher can quickly rattle off rhyming sentences yet suffers a complete block when faced with her nemesis (a best-selling author who...oh, never mind). The strongest aspect of the movie turns out to be the songs, which have an authentically retro feel and almost manage to convince us that Grant could have been another Andrew Ridgeley. *1/2 from ****

Slightly better than usual Hugh Grant rom-com vehicle which sees him play an ageing, 80's has-been Andrew Ridgley-type popster who gets an unlikely break from the constant round of playing the oldies circuit when he's asked to write a song for the new, hot young Britney / Christina kid-on-the-block. However, rather like, say, Elton John, he doesn't do lyrics and needs to find one fast to complete the new song on deadline and give his erstwhile career a much needed boost. By chance, it turns out his young, female plant- lady (i.e. she waters his plants) has a way with words and because she's also Drew Barrymore they form an offbeat partnership, get involved and along the way solve Barrymore's own issues which revolve around an old teacher of hers who's used her experiences as the thinly disguised subject of a hit, soon-to-be-filmed best seller of his.The film starts off very funnily with a spot-on mickey-take of the relentlessly upbeat 80's videos from those boys from Wham, before the main story takes over and I suppose falters from there. Grant is a bit less gauche and narcissistic than usual (strangely so, given his character's C.V. here) and Barrymore is more clever than cute when her character might have played better if those traits were reversed.There's not a great deal of romantic spark between them although cosmetically they spark a little better off each other. Sadly, the supporting characters are thin while story goes through the predictable series of will they, won't they get together ups and downs before the expected happy-ending sees the succeed together on a personal and commercial level.The best lines are still those which spoof the 80's music scene, in my opinion, the decade that fashion and talent forgot, the rest of it is, unsurprisingly, soft and warm and fuzzy, rather like a typical George Michael single of the time. The big conclusion, at a massive concert thrown by new hipster Cora, sees Grant, heretofore an inept lyricist, but who throughout must of the film, keeps up a mostly witty and confident dialogue and writes a fluent open-letter lyric to Barrymore just as she's quitting the big showcase concert of Cora's where he appears to be taking sole credit for their new song for Cora.Like 80's music in general, this reasonably pleasant and amusing film doesn't exactly challenge the senses but passes the time amiably enough.

The first time I saw this, I enjoyed the comedy, but had a hard time believing that love could develop between a man and woman of different generations. After seeing it a second time, though, I caught many of the details that I had missed the first time and it made more sense. That, of course, heightened my enjoyment even more. Now the premise doesn't seem all that far fetched, after all. Hugh's and Drew's fine singing voices were a pleasant surprise, too. I advise everyone to see this movie at least twice. You'll probably find yourself singing the spotlighted songs for many days afterward. Excellent writing, directing, and acting.