i remember the first time i passed the billboard at slex, on my way home. immediately i whipped out my mobile and sent a message to my friend nessy, telling her about this new movie with hugh grant and drew barrymore in it... and i forgot the title. eventually, the more i thought about it, the lower my expectations got. still reeling from the disappointment of two weeks' notice, i was determined not to put too much stock on music and lyrics having a seemingly unique plot (80's has-been, anyone?) and two acknowledged romantic comedy mainstays.
fate conspired to let me watch the movie today, alone as usual. my good luck even extended to the ticket booth, where the sales lady allowed me to get the ticket though i was 5 pesos short -- on the other hand, it's their fault for not having change for 500 bucks -- which i didn't forget to give back. so, i lugged my mocha latte and planted myself on one of the back row aisle seats, and got ready to be underwhelmed (but laugh at appropriate intervals).
i'm not really good at writing reviews and i'm too impatient to get into the kind of detail a well-thought-of review requires, so here's what i think off the bat. as usual, hugh grant and drew barrymore prove their mettle as romantic leads. not as spectacular as the chemistry in notting hill and 50 first dates, but at least they made me believe they're who they were supposed to be in the movie. well, except for the pre-recording party where drew wore this amazing white patterned coat over a cute black dress... i'm not sure even now that sophie is more bohemian like most of drew's characters, but the outfit really stood out. the supporting cast was ok, not too many people to get confused about, and haley bennet is probably headed for stardom. the plot is so-so. one review quipped that the romantic development wasn't so convincing, and i agree. maybe the movie got too short to properly take us through the nuances of the love story. much like a fountains of wayne song.
speaking of, i come to my favorite part, which is the soundtrack. the review i read before seeing the movie especially took note of the soundtrack kind of holding the movie together. yes, the one mostly written by fountains of wayne's adam schlesinger (to refresh: they were the ones behind stacy's mom). what i didn't know was that adam is also the one behind that catchy song by the wonders. i truly enjoyed the songs featured in the movie, like the cheesy 80's hit (well, in their universe) that i was singing along to at the beginning of the movie. i'll even go out on a limb here and say that way back into love should seriously be given radio airplay. i just don't remember this song called meaningless kiss they keep bringing up in the reviews. and honestly, i really appreciate the actors being the singers as well. i really do. hugh grant can definitely carry a tune.
and boy, can he dance. well, at least he can do it with gusto as a joke. i seem to remember richard curtis fearing that hugh grant will never again dance in public, following that infamous scene in the hallways of 10 downing street on love, actually. expect the same convoluted running-man, multiply by 100. the hip thrusting gets tired after a while (no pun intended. i know what you're thinking! hahaha!), and it's obviously one of the long-running inside jokes. the producers of this movie obviously saw the other film for them to milk hugh's dancing prowess for all the laughs they could get.
so anyway, to end this pathetic attempt of a review i will say that music and lyrics isn't bad for a typical romantic comedy. i think if you balance your expectations well enough you might actually be pleasantly surprised.
