Let's see, this time, we are taking a look to two movies with titles implicating both of them are romantic comedies. Words and Pictures (2013) starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche, and Music and Lyrics (2007) starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. I watched them back to back, so I'll talk about them in the order that I've watched them, starting with Words and Pictures.
I remember seeing its trailer and being intrigued. But I missed it then and forgot about it until last week. Actually, I am not sure what triggered me to remember it, but I am glad that I have. Starting with the short introduction, Jack Marcus (Owen) is an English literature teacher at a small town high school and Dina Delsanto (Binoche) is the new art teacher. What we gather from the first few scenes that both of them have their problems. Marcus is a bit irritating published writer and Delsanto is a cold and established artist. It appears - up to this point - that the movie have all the main elements of a romantic comedy. However, it actually is not a straight up romantic comedy, and actually its not a romantic comedy at all. At least that's my opinion. The movie have many memorable moments and references and quotable lines. To be honest, the movie itself gives many quotes to notable works and memorable words. As usual, I'm not going to spoil anything, so just some clues it you happen to read this after you watch the movie; The moment when Marcus talks about looking up something from a book, not online; the moment when Delsanto talks Emily (Valerie Tian) about her art in school and talks about life at her house. The only problem I had was at about 1:10 hr. mark when Marcus goes to Delsanto's house, that ten minute sequence was a little forced, Marcus's actions and the end result was a little bit too predictable. Yes, that sequence and its results was expected for the plot to move forward, but then again, it felt a little out of place. But in the overall, it was a very nice, hearth warming movie and the chemistry between Owen and Binoche was really good. Which makes us move to our second title;
Music and Lyrics, about a nearly forgotten pop band singer Alex Fletcher and an out of the ordinary Sophie Fisher (Barrymore). Exactly opposite to Words and Pictures, the whole movie was out of place for me. Yes it is a romantic comedy and yes it has all the elements of a romantic comedy; boy meets girl out of extraordinary circumstances, they open up to each other, having their own demons of their pasts, they fall in love, they argue etc. etc. I felt no chemistry at all between the leads, it was almost like they didn't have neither time or money to get as many takes as required. Grant was actually really good but Barrymore was definitely not. Maybe, just maybe, it was the way Sophie Fisher character was written was so strange that I found no connection to her at all. I don't know, the movie didn't gave me the basic elements of a romantic comedy, on the contrary, it felt forced, rushed, cliché and even weird at times.
To sum-up, I am amazed that Words and Pictures have lower in imdb and rotten tomatoes. I almost feel like watching them back to back may have de-valued Music and Lyrics for me. But I'll stick with my judgment and say that - even though they may not be in the same genre - Words and Pictures was the better and more memorable movie.
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