Writer-producer-developer Norman Lear, who revolutionized American comedy with such daring, immensely popular early-‘70s sitcoms as “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son,” died on Tuesday. He was 101.
Lear’s publicist confirmed to Variety that he died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes. A private service for immediate family will be held in the coming days.
“Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather,” Lear’s family said in a statement. “Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts. We ask for your understanding as we mourn privately in celebration of this remarkable human being.”
Lear had already established himself as a top...
Lear’s publicist confirmed to Variety that he died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes. A private service for immediate family will be held in the coming days.
“Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather,” Lear’s family said in a statement. “Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts. We ask for your understanding as we mourn privately in celebration of this remarkable human being.”
Lear had already established himself as a top...
- 12/6/2023
- by Chris Morris
- Variety Film + TV
This review was written for the theatrical release of "December Boys".
"December Boys" bathes in the summer sun and sea breezes even as it exudes the energy of youth and promise. It is set in an affable seaside community in South Australia in the 1960s, in a few homey shacks built within a cove. There is a flavor of nostalgia here, too, as old rock tunes waft through the air. The film's dramatic moments are small but exquisitely rendered so that you feel the emotions experienced so many years ago. The film lingers afterward in your mind like a favorite vacation that triggered moments of sheer intensity.
Based on the Australian coming-of-age novel by Michael Noonan and featuring Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role apart from the Harry Potter character, "December Boys" is a modest though poignant film that touches on timeless themes of love, friendship and family. Radcliffe is the film's calling card; otherwise, it would be difficult for Warner Independent Pictures to create awareness of such a small-scale film. Likewise, Village Roadshow, which handles international sales, must hope that Radcliffe will lead audiences to this satisfying movie experience.
The story, which Marc Rosenberg adapted from Noonan's novel, revolves around four orphan boys born in December who have grown up in a Catholic convent in the Outback. All have reached or are reaching an age when the prospects of adoption are increasingly slim. A Christmas outing to the seaside gives them a welcome respite from school.
The narrator actually is the youngest boy, Misty Lee Cormie, quite good), who is quiet, neat, mature and determined to get adapted. The eldest boy, Maps (Radcliffe), is closing in on 17 and not even certain at that age whether he even wants to be adopted.
Spark (Christian Byers) has a taste for the forbidden. This includes cigarettes and lingerie ads. Aside from the disgusting social habit that gives him his nickname, Spit (James Fraser) loves challenges and feels he is up to each and every one.
The boys stay in a house with an aging couple, Bandy McAnsh (veteran Aussie star Jack Thompson), a retired naval officer who salts his language with nautical terms, and his wife (Kris McQuade), who have a secret motive for inviting the lads to join them.
The boys meet a circus performer and his French wife. Since they can't have children, they seem the perfect couple to adopt. A competition breaks out among the three youngest boys, which puts friendships to a test. Meanwhile, Maps becomes utterly infatuated with a local blonde named Lucy (Teresa Palmer), who both enjoys and encourages his romantic interest.
Misty narrates from deep into the future, so this is a memory piece and, perhaps, memory plays its tricks. Could all of these slender narrative strands have been so neatly resolved? Did that idyllic December really freight so much emotional weight? Does Misty in the future really remember the cove's metaphoric wildlife -- a black horse that wanders the beach and a huge fish named Henry, which has eluded capture by an old fisherman for years. Not to mention a personal appearance by Our Lady to two of the young Catholic boys?
Director Rod Hardy favors sunsets over the ocean and high angle shots of the cove, the sea and the striking topography of this desolate, gorgeous location. It's a neat package save for a curious ending, many years later -- presumably today -- where actors far too old to be those boys in 2007 reassemble on the cove to spread the ashes of the one lad who has died. Didn't anybody do the math?
DECEMBER BOYS
Warner Independent Pictures
WIP and Village Roadshow Pictures
in association with Becker Films and the South Australian Film Corp. present a Richard Becker production
Credits:
Director: Rod Hardy
Screenwriter: Marc Rosenberg
From story work by: Ronald Kinnoch
Based on the novel by: Michael Noonan
Producer: Richard Becker
Executive producers: Hal Gaba, Jonathan Shteinman
Director of photography: Dave Connell
Production designer: Les Binns
Music: Carlo Giacco
Co-producer: Jay Sanders
Costume designer: Mariot Kerr
Editor: Dany Cooper
Cast:
Maps: Daniel Radcliffe
Spark: Christian Byers
Misty: Lee Cormie
Spit: James Fraser
Lucy: Teresa Palmer
Bandy McAnsh: Jack Thompson
Teresa: Victoria Hill
Fearless: Sullivan Stapleton
Shellback: Ralph Cotterill
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
"December Boys" bathes in the summer sun and sea breezes even as it exudes the energy of youth and promise. It is set in an affable seaside community in South Australia in the 1960s, in a few homey shacks built within a cove. There is a flavor of nostalgia here, too, as old rock tunes waft through the air. The film's dramatic moments are small but exquisitely rendered so that you feel the emotions experienced so many years ago. The film lingers afterward in your mind like a favorite vacation that triggered moments of sheer intensity.
Based on the Australian coming-of-age novel by Michael Noonan and featuring Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role apart from the Harry Potter character, "December Boys" is a modest though poignant film that touches on timeless themes of love, friendship and family. Radcliffe is the film's calling card; otherwise, it would be difficult for Warner Independent Pictures to create awareness of such a small-scale film. Likewise, Village Roadshow, which handles international sales, must hope that Radcliffe will lead audiences to this satisfying movie experience.
The story, which Marc Rosenberg adapted from Noonan's novel, revolves around four orphan boys born in December who have grown up in a Catholic convent in the Outback. All have reached or are reaching an age when the prospects of adoption are increasingly slim. A Christmas outing to the seaside gives them a welcome respite from school.
The narrator actually is the youngest boy, Misty Lee Cormie, quite good), who is quiet, neat, mature and determined to get adapted. The eldest boy, Maps (Radcliffe), is closing in on 17 and not even certain at that age whether he even wants to be adopted.
Spark (Christian Byers) has a taste for the forbidden. This includes cigarettes and lingerie ads. Aside from the disgusting social habit that gives him his nickname, Spit (James Fraser) loves challenges and feels he is up to each and every one.
The boys stay in a house with an aging couple, Bandy McAnsh (veteran Aussie star Jack Thompson), a retired naval officer who salts his language with nautical terms, and his wife (Kris McQuade), who have a secret motive for inviting the lads to join them.
The boys meet a circus performer and his French wife. Since they can't have children, they seem the perfect couple to adopt. A competition breaks out among the three youngest boys, which puts friendships to a test. Meanwhile, Maps becomes utterly infatuated with a local blonde named Lucy (Teresa Palmer), who both enjoys and encourages his romantic interest.
Misty narrates from deep into the future, so this is a memory piece and, perhaps, memory plays its tricks. Could all of these slender narrative strands have been so neatly resolved? Did that idyllic December really freight so much emotional weight? Does Misty in the future really remember the cove's metaphoric wildlife -- a black horse that wanders the beach and a huge fish named Henry, which has eluded capture by an old fisherman for years. Not to mention a personal appearance by Our Lady to two of the young Catholic boys?
Director Rod Hardy favors sunsets over the ocean and high angle shots of the cove, the sea and the striking topography of this desolate, gorgeous location. It's a neat package save for a curious ending, many years later -- presumably today -- where actors far too old to be those boys in 2007 reassemble on the cove to spread the ashes of the one lad who has died. Didn't anybody do the math?
DECEMBER BOYS
Warner Independent Pictures
WIP and Village Roadshow Pictures
in association with Becker Films and the South Australian Film Corp. present a Richard Becker production
Credits:
Director: Rod Hardy
Screenwriter: Marc Rosenberg
From story work by: Ronald Kinnoch
Based on the novel by: Michael Noonan
Producer: Richard Becker
Executive producers: Hal Gaba, Jonathan Shteinman
Director of photography: Dave Connell
Production designer: Les Binns
Music: Carlo Giacco
Co-producer: Jay Sanders
Costume designer: Mariot Kerr
Editor: Dany Cooper
Cast:
Maps: Daniel Radcliffe
Spark: Christian Byers
Misty: Lee Cormie
Spit: James Fraser
Lucy: Teresa Palmer
Bandy McAnsh: Jack Thompson
Teresa: Victoria Hill
Fearless: Sullivan Stapleton
Shellback: Ralph Cotterill
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/14/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
December Boys bathes in the summer sun and sea breezes even as it exudes the energy of youth and promise. It is set in an affable seaside community in South Australia in the 1960s, in a few homey shacks built within a cove. There is a flavor of nostalgia here, too, as old rock tunes waft through the air. The film's dramatic moments are small but exquisitely rendered so that you feel the emotions experienced so many years ago. The film lingers afterward in your mind like a favorite vacation that triggered moments of sheer intensity.
Based on the Australian coming-of-age novel by Michael Noonan and featuring Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role apart from the Harry Potter character, December Boys is a modest though poignant film that touches on timeless themes of love, friendship and family. Radcliffe is the film's calling card; otherwise, it would be difficult for Warner Independent Pictures to create awareness of such a small-scale film. Likewise, Village Roadshow, which handles international sales, must hope that Radcliffe will lead audiences to this satisfying movie experience.
The story, which Marc Rosenberg adapted from Noonan's novel, revolves around four orphan boys born in December who have grown up in a Catholic convent in the Outback. All have reached or are reaching an age when the prospects of adoption are increasingly slim. A Christmas outing to the seaside gives them a welcome respite from school.
The narrator actually is the youngest boy, Misty Lee Cormie, quite good), who is quiet, neat, mature and determined to get adapted. The eldest boy, Maps (Radcliffe), is closing in on 17 and not even certain at that age whether he even wants to be adopted.
Spark (Christian Byers) has a taste for the forbidden. This includes cigarettes and lingerie ads. Aside from the disgusting social habit that gives him his nickname, Spit (James Fraser) loves challenges and feels he is up to each and every one.
The boys stay in a house with an aging couple, Bandy McAnsh (veteran Aussie star Jack Thompson), a retired naval officer who salts his language with nautical terms, and his wife (Kris McQuade), who have a secret motive for inviting the lads to join them.
The boys meet a circus performer and his French wife. Since they can't have children, they seem the perfect couple to adopt. A competition breaks out among the three youngest boys, which puts friendships to a test. Meanwhile, Maps becomes utterly infatuated with a local blonde named Lucy (Teresa Palmer), who both enjoys and encourages his romantic interest.
Misty narrates from deep into the future, so this is a memory piece and, perhaps, memory plays its tricks. Could all of these slender narrative strands have been so neatly resolved? Did that idyllic December really freight so much emotional weight? Does Misty in the future really remember the cove's metaphoric wildlife -- a black horse that wanders the beach and a huge fish named Henry, which has eluded capture by an old fisherman for years. Not to mention a personal appearance by Our Lady to two of the young Catholic boys?
Director Rod Hardy favors sunsets over the ocean and high angle shots of the cove, the sea and the striking topography of this desolate, gorgeous location. It's a neat package save for a curious ending, many years later -- presumably today -- where actors far too old to be those boys in 2007 reassemble on the cove to spread the ashes of the one lad who has died. Didn't anybody do the math?
DECEMBER BOYS
Warner Independent Pictures
WIP and Village Roadshow Pictures
in association with Becker Films and the South Australian Film Corp. present a Richard Becker production
Credits:
Director: Rod Hardy
Screenwriter: Marc Rosenberg
From story work by: Ronald Kinnoch
Based on the novel by: Michael Noonan
Producer: Richard Becker
Executive producers: Hal Gaba, Jonathan Shteinman
Director of photography: Dave Connell
Production designer: Les Binns
Music: Carlo Giacco
Co-producer: Jay Sanders
Costume designer: Mariot Kerr
Editor: Dany Cooper
Cast:
Maps: Daniel Radcliffe
Spark: Christian Byers
Misty: Lee Cormie
Spit: James Fraser
Lucy: Teresa Palmer
Bandy McAnsh: Jack Thompson
Teresa: Victoria Hill
Fearless: Sullivan Stapleton
Shellback: Ralph Cotterill
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Based on the Australian coming-of-age novel by Michael Noonan and featuring Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role apart from the Harry Potter character, December Boys is a modest though poignant film that touches on timeless themes of love, friendship and family. Radcliffe is the film's calling card; otherwise, it would be difficult for Warner Independent Pictures to create awareness of such a small-scale film. Likewise, Village Roadshow, which handles international sales, must hope that Radcliffe will lead audiences to this satisfying movie experience.
The story, which Marc Rosenberg adapted from Noonan's novel, revolves around four orphan boys born in December who have grown up in a Catholic convent in the Outback. All have reached or are reaching an age when the prospects of adoption are increasingly slim. A Christmas outing to the seaside gives them a welcome respite from school.
The narrator actually is the youngest boy, Misty Lee Cormie, quite good), who is quiet, neat, mature and determined to get adapted. The eldest boy, Maps (Radcliffe), is closing in on 17 and not even certain at that age whether he even wants to be adopted.
Spark (Christian Byers) has a taste for the forbidden. This includes cigarettes and lingerie ads. Aside from the disgusting social habit that gives him his nickname, Spit (James Fraser) loves challenges and feels he is up to each and every one.
The boys stay in a house with an aging couple, Bandy McAnsh (veteran Aussie star Jack Thompson), a retired naval officer who salts his language with nautical terms, and his wife (Kris McQuade), who have a secret motive for inviting the lads to join them.
The boys meet a circus performer and his French wife. Since they can't have children, they seem the perfect couple to adopt. A competition breaks out among the three youngest boys, which puts friendships to a test. Meanwhile, Maps becomes utterly infatuated with a local blonde named Lucy (Teresa Palmer), who both enjoys and encourages his romantic interest.
Misty narrates from deep into the future, so this is a memory piece and, perhaps, memory plays its tricks. Could all of these slender narrative strands have been so neatly resolved? Did that idyllic December really freight so much emotional weight? Does Misty in the future really remember the cove's metaphoric wildlife -- a black horse that wanders the beach and a huge fish named Henry, which has eluded capture by an old fisherman for years. Not to mention a personal appearance by Our Lady to two of the young Catholic boys?
Director Rod Hardy favors sunsets over the ocean and high angle shots of the cove, the sea and the striking topography of this desolate, gorgeous location. It's a neat package save for a curious ending, many years later -- presumably today -- where actors far too old to be those boys in 2007 reassemble on the cove to spread the ashes of the one lad who has died. Didn't anybody do the math?
DECEMBER BOYS
Warner Independent Pictures
WIP and Village Roadshow Pictures
in association with Becker Films and the South Australian Film Corp. present a Richard Becker production
Credits:
Director: Rod Hardy
Screenwriter: Marc Rosenberg
From story work by: Ronald Kinnoch
Based on the novel by: Michael Noonan
Producer: Richard Becker
Executive producers: Hal Gaba, Jonathan Shteinman
Director of photography: Dave Connell
Production designer: Les Binns
Music: Carlo Giacco
Co-producer: Jay Sanders
Costume designer: Mariot Kerr
Editor: Dany Cooper
Cast:
Maps: Daniel Radcliffe
Spark: Christian Byers
Misty: Lee Cormie
Spit: James Fraser
Lucy: Teresa Palmer
Bandy McAnsh: Jack Thompson
Teresa: Victoria Hill
Fearless: Sullivan Stapleton
Shellback: Ralph Cotterill
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/14/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SYDNEY -- Village Roadshow Pictures Group, the U.S.-based film production division of Australia's Village Roadshow Ltd. (VRL) will merge with Los Angeles-based independent music firm Concord Music Group in a deal set to close by late October to form Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, executives said on Monday.
The partnership, announced by Concord owners Norman Lear and Hal Gaba, and by Village Roadshow chairman John Kirby and CEO Graham Burke, will see VRPG and Concord continue to operate as stand-alone entities.
It will "couple a broad film library with a vast catalog of master recordings and publishing rights," Kirby said, creating a "combined music-film powerhouse that has an exciting future."
The new group's assets include features such as The Matrix trilogy and the Ocean's series, from its co-productions with Warner Bros, and titles such as Mystic River, and, on the music side, Concord's 5,000 albums from 21 record labels and 6,000 music publishing rights, focused on jazz, classic rock and pop artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The partnership, announced by Concord owners Norman Lear and Hal Gaba, and by Village Roadshow chairman John Kirby and CEO Graham Burke, will see VRPG and Concord continue to operate as stand-alone entities.
It will "couple a broad film library with a vast catalog of master recordings and publishing rights," Kirby said, creating a "combined music-film powerhouse that has an exciting future."
The new group's assets include features such as The Matrix trilogy and the Ocean's series, from its co-productions with Warner Bros, and titles such as Mystic River, and, on the music side, Concord's 5,000 albums from 21 record labels and 6,000 music publishing rights, focused on jazz, classic rock and pop artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Music and Lyrics".Marc Lawrence's "Music and Lyrics" starts off, appropriately enough, with a music video that's so absolutely, totally '80s -- from the big hair and checkered-flag backdrops to the cheesy synth and electronic drums -- it could have easily been a part of the old MTV rotation.
Although everything that follows isn't quite as inspired as that three-minute mock clip, the mood has been neatly set for an agreeably loopy romantic comedy that bounces along effortlessly on the genuine chemistry of leads Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.
Their pleasantly in sync performances alone should ensure that this heart-shaped Warner Bros. Pictures confection remains fresh well beyond its Valentine's Day opening date.
That spot-on music video belongs to PoP! -- an unmistakably Wham!-type outfit, in which Hugh Grant's Alex Fletcher essentially functioned as the Andrew Ridgeley of the group.
Thanks to the '80s nostalgia wave, Fletcher has been managing to eke out an existence at amusement parks and country fairs, where he performs the duo's old hits backed by karaoke-quality instrumental tracks.
A true comeback bid presents itself when Cora Corman (newcomer Haley Bennett), a wispy, Britney Spears-styled pop diva, invites him to write and record a duet with her. Trouble is, Fletcher hasn't written a fresh tune in years and needs to collaborate with a lyricist who can do something, anything, with Cora's supplied title, "Way Back Into Love".
Hope arrives in the unlikely form of Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who initially has shown up at Fletcher's Manhattan apartment to water his plants but soon discovers that she has an untapped way with words of the lyrical variety.
Unsurprisingly, their professional collaboration eventually blossoms into something more personal, but the commitment-shy Sophie is still smarting over her previous affair with her old literature professor, Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), who turned around and made her the central character in his best-selling novel.
Writer-director Lawrence, who also wore both hats on the Grant-Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "Two Weeks' Notice," certainly doesn't make any attempt to reinvent the genre, but he works efficiently within its familiar boundaries.
And while both Grant and Barrymore have demonstrated a flair for playing variations on these characters in the past, they prove to be a delightful fit. It might be their first time working together, but they create a gratifying comedic spark that should ensure future screen matchups.
Holding their own playing backup, meanwhile, are a terrific Kristen Johnston as Barrymore's unabashed PoP! groupie big sister, Brad Garrett as Grant's loyal manager and Scott as the slimy Sloan.
Technical contributions are uniformly bright, but what makes the picture really sing are those note-perfect '80s song approximations penned by Fountains of Wayne tunesmith Adam Schlesinger (he also successfully evoked the '60s with the title song for Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!") as well as Andrew Wyatt and Josh Deutsch, who wrote PoP!'s signature hit, "Pop! Goes My Heart."
Also nailing the requisite tone is Grant, who does his own singing here. Truth be told, if he were to ever consider a second career as a washed-up '80s pop singer, he'd be a natural.
MUSIC AND LYRICS
Warner Bros. Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures
A Reserve Room production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Marc Lawrence
Producers: Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer
Executive producers: Nancy Juvonen, Hal Gaba, Bruce Berman
Director of photography: Xavier Perez Grobet
Production designer: Jane Musky
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Music: Adam Schlesinger
Cast:
Alex Fletcher: Hugh Grant
Sophie Fisher: Drew Barrymore
Chris Riley: Brad Garrett
Rhonda: Kristen Johnston
Sloan Cates: Campbell Scott
Cora Corman: Haley Bennett
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Although everything that follows isn't quite as inspired as that three-minute mock clip, the mood has been neatly set for an agreeably loopy romantic comedy that bounces along effortlessly on the genuine chemistry of leads Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.
Their pleasantly in sync performances alone should ensure that this heart-shaped Warner Bros. Pictures confection remains fresh well beyond its Valentine's Day opening date.
That spot-on music video belongs to PoP! -- an unmistakably Wham!-type outfit, in which Hugh Grant's Alex Fletcher essentially functioned as the Andrew Ridgeley of the group.
Thanks to the '80s nostalgia wave, Fletcher has been managing to eke out an existence at amusement parks and country fairs, where he performs the duo's old hits backed by karaoke-quality instrumental tracks.
A true comeback bid presents itself when Cora Corman (newcomer Haley Bennett), a wispy, Britney Spears-styled pop diva, invites him to write and record a duet with her. Trouble is, Fletcher hasn't written a fresh tune in years and needs to collaborate with a lyricist who can do something, anything, with Cora's supplied title, "Way Back Into Love".
Hope arrives in the unlikely form of Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who initially has shown up at Fletcher's Manhattan apartment to water his plants but soon discovers that she has an untapped way with words of the lyrical variety.
Unsurprisingly, their professional collaboration eventually blossoms into something more personal, but the commitment-shy Sophie is still smarting over her previous affair with her old literature professor, Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), who turned around and made her the central character in his best-selling novel.
Writer-director Lawrence, who also wore both hats on the Grant-Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "Two Weeks' Notice," certainly doesn't make any attempt to reinvent the genre, but he works efficiently within its familiar boundaries.
And while both Grant and Barrymore have demonstrated a flair for playing variations on these characters in the past, they prove to be a delightful fit. It might be their first time working together, but they create a gratifying comedic spark that should ensure future screen matchups.
Holding their own playing backup, meanwhile, are a terrific Kristen Johnston as Barrymore's unabashed PoP! groupie big sister, Brad Garrett as Grant's loyal manager and Scott as the slimy Sloan.
Technical contributions are uniformly bright, but what makes the picture really sing are those note-perfect '80s song approximations penned by Fountains of Wayne tunesmith Adam Schlesinger (he also successfully evoked the '60s with the title song for Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!") as well as Andrew Wyatt and Josh Deutsch, who wrote PoP!'s signature hit, "Pop! Goes My Heart."
Also nailing the requisite tone is Grant, who does his own singing here. Truth be told, if he were to ever consider a second career as a washed-up '80s pop singer, he'd be a natural.
MUSIC AND LYRICS
Warner Bros. Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures
A Reserve Room production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Marc Lawrence
Producers: Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer
Executive producers: Nancy Juvonen, Hal Gaba, Bruce Berman
Director of photography: Xavier Perez Grobet
Production designer: Jane Musky
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Music: Adam Schlesinger
Cast:
Alex Fletcher: Hugh Grant
Sophie Fisher: Drew Barrymore
Chris Riley: Brad Garrett
Rhonda: Kristen Johnston
Sloan Cates: Campbell Scott
Cora Corman: Haley Bennett
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Marc Lawrence's "Music and Lyrics" starts off, appropriately enough, with a music video that's so absolutely, totally '80s -- from the big hair and checkered-flag backdrops to the cheesy synth and electronic drums -- it could have easily been a part of the old MTV rotation.
Although everything that follows isn't quite as inspired as that three-minute mock clip, the mood has been neatly set for an agreeably loopy romantic comedy that bounces along effortlessly on the genuine chemistry of leads Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.
Their pleasantly in sync performances alone should ensure that this heart-shaped Warner Bros. Pictures confection remains fresh well beyond its Valentine's Day opening date.
That spot-on music video belongs to PoP! -- an unmistakably Wham!-type outfit, in which Hugh Grant's Alex Fletcher essentially functioned as the Andrew Ridgeley of the group.
Thanks to the '80s nostalgia wave, Fletcher has been managing to eke out an existence at amusement parks and country fairs, where he performs the duo's old hits backed by karaoke-quality instrumental tracks.
A true comeback bid presents itself when Cora Corman (newcomer Haley Bennett), a wispy, Britney Spears-styled pop diva, invites him to write and record a duet with her. Trouble is, Fletcher hasn't written a fresh tune in years and needs to collaborate with a lyricist who can do something, anything, with Cora's supplied title, "Way Back Into Love".
Hope arrives in the unlikely form of Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who initially has shown up at Fletcher's Manhattan apartment to water his plants but soon discovers that she has an untapped way with words of the lyrical variety.
Unsurprisingly, their professional collaboration eventually blossoms into something more personal, but the commitment-shy Sophie is still smarting over her previous affair with her old literature professor, Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), who turned around and made her the central character in his best-selling novel.
Writer-director Lawrence, who also wore both hats on the Grant-Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "Two Weeks' Notice," certainly doesn't make any attempt to reinvent the genre, but he works efficiently within its familiar boundaries.
And while both Grant and Barrymore have demonstrated a flair for playing variations on these characters in the past, they prove to be a delightful fit. It might be their first time working together, but they create a gratifying comedic spark that should ensure future screen matchups.
Holding their own playing backup, meanwhile, are a terrific Kristen Johnston as Barrymore's unabashed PoP! groupie big sister, Brad Garrett as Grant's loyal manager and Scott as the slimy Sloan.
Technical contributions are uniformly bright, but what makes the picture really sing are those note-perfect '80s song approximations penned by Fountains of Wayne tunesmith Adam Schlesinger (he also successfully evoked the '60s with the title song for Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!") as well as Andrew Wyatt and Josh Deutsch, who wrote PoP!'s signature hit, "Pop! Goes My Heart."
Also nailing the requisite tone is Grant, who does his own singing here. Truth be told, if he were to ever consider a second career as a washed-up '80s pop singer, he'd be a natural.
MUSIC AND LYRICS
Warner Bros. Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures
A Reserve Room production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Marc Lawrence
Producers: Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer
Executive producers: Nancy Juvonen, Hal Gaba, Bruce Berman
Director of photography: Xavier Perez Grobet
Production designer: Jane Musky
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Music: Adam Schlesinger
Cast:
Alex Fletcher: Hugh Grant
Sophie Fisher: Drew Barrymore
Chris Riley: Brad Garrett
Rhonda: Kristen Johnston
Sloan Cates: Campbell Scott
Cora Corman: Haley Bennett
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Although everything that follows isn't quite as inspired as that three-minute mock clip, the mood has been neatly set for an agreeably loopy romantic comedy that bounces along effortlessly on the genuine chemistry of leads Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.
Their pleasantly in sync performances alone should ensure that this heart-shaped Warner Bros. Pictures confection remains fresh well beyond its Valentine's Day opening date.
That spot-on music video belongs to PoP! -- an unmistakably Wham!-type outfit, in which Hugh Grant's Alex Fletcher essentially functioned as the Andrew Ridgeley of the group.
Thanks to the '80s nostalgia wave, Fletcher has been managing to eke out an existence at amusement parks and country fairs, where he performs the duo's old hits backed by karaoke-quality instrumental tracks.
A true comeback bid presents itself when Cora Corman (newcomer Haley Bennett), a wispy, Britney Spears-styled pop diva, invites him to write and record a duet with her. Trouble is, Fletcher hasn't written a fresh tune in years and needs to collaborate with a lyricist who can do something, anything, with Cora's supplied title, "Way Back Into Love".
Hope arrives in the unlikely form of Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who initially has shown up at Fletcher's Manhattan apartment to water his plants but soon discovers that she has an untapped way with words of the lyrical variety.
Unsurprisingly, their professional collaboration eventually blossoms into something more personal, but the commitment-shy Sophie is still smarting over her previous affair with her old literature professor, Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), who turned around and made her the central character in his best-selling novel.
Writer-director Lawrence, who also wore both hats on the Grant-Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "Two Weeks' Notice," certainly doesn't make any attempt to reinvent the genre, but he works efficiently within its familiar boundaries.
And while both Grant and Barrymore have demonstrated a flair for playing variations on these characters in the past, they prove to be a delightful fit. It might be their first time working together, but they create a gratifying comedic spark that should ensure future screen matchups.
Holding their own playing backup, meanwhile, are a terrific Kristen Johnston as Barrymore's unabashed PoP! groupie big sister, Brad Garrett as Grant's loyal manager and Scott as the slimy Sloan.
Technical contributions are uniformly bright, but what makes the picture really sing are those note-perfect '80s song approximations penned by Fountains of Wayne tunesmith Adam Schlesinger (he also successfully evoked the '60s with the title song for Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!") as well as Andrew Wyatt and Josh Deutsch, who wrote PoP!'s signature hit, "Pop! Goes My Heart."
Also nailing the requisite tone is Grant, who does his own singing here. Truth be told, if he were to ever consider a second career as a washed-up '80s pop singer, he'd be a natural.
MUSIC AND LYRICS
Warner Bros. Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures
A Reserve Room production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Marc Lawrence
Producers: Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer
Executive producers: Nancy Juvonen, Hal Gaba, Bruce Berman
Director of photography: Xavier Perez Grobet
Production designer: Jane Musky
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Music: Adam Schlesinger
Cast:
Alex Fletcher: Hugh Grant
Sophie Fisher: Drew Barrymore
Chris Riley: Brad Garrett
Rhonda: Kristen Johnston
Sloan Cates: Campbell Scott
Cora Corman: Haley Bennett
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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