History Film / MusicAndLyrics

* MayDecemberRomance: Alex, who's presumably in his early fifties, winds up with Sophie, a woman who is implied to be just barely pushing thirty.

* CaptainObvious: Cora's comment to Alex and Sophie at her party: "Let me show you the balcony, it's upstairs." [[SarcasmMode You don't say.]]

''Music and Lyrics'' is a 2007 {{romantic|Comedy}} {{dramedy}} film written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It is effectively an AffectionateParody of 1980s pop music and the stars related to it.

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[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7c17bca81eec09f16cc094d0f676e546.jpg]]

2007 RomanticComedy, and AffectionateParody of 1980s pop music and the stars related to it.

Unfortunately for him, even this last well of employment (and dignity) seems to be drying up; there's new old acts embarking on reunion tours every day, and Alex is losing gigs. Possible salvation - and a return to the [[GloryDays Good Old Days]] - beckons when Cora Corman (Creator/HaleyBennett), a Britney-style teenybopper star and fan of his music, commissions him to write a duet to be performed on her next album and concert tour. Unfortunately, Alex only wrote the music, not the lyrics; however, [[ContrivedCoincidence by an astonishing stroke of luck]], [[ChekhovsGunman his attractive-but-scatty plant-waterer]], Sophie Fisher (Creator/DrewBarrymore), demonstrates an unexpected knack for writing song lyrics...

[[RomanceArc See if you can't guess how it progresses from there]].

!!Provides examples of:

Unfortunately for him, even this last well of employment (and dignity) seems to be drying up; there's new old acts embarking on reunion tours every day, and Alex is losing gigs. Possible salvation - and a return to the [[GloryDays Good Old Days]] - beckons when Cora Corman (Haley Bennett), a Britney-style teenybopper star and fan of his music, commissions him to write a duet to be performed on her next album and concert tour. Unfortunately, Alex only wrote the music, not the lyrics; however, [[ContrivedCoincidence by an astonishing stroke of luck]], [[ChekhovsGunman his attractive-but-scatty plant-waterer]], Sophie Fisher (Creator/DrewBarrymore), demonstrates an unexpected knack for writing song lyrics...

--> '''Alex''': We're not turning out the last movement of the Jupiter symphony. We're writing a song for someone whose last hit was "Welcome To Bootytown!" [[note]] It's actually "Entering Bootytown". [[/note]]

-->'''Alex:''' Well, first of all, I actually know Smokey a little bit and he's far too much a gentleman to ever say anything like that. Dylan... might. Dylan would. In fact, Dylan ''did''.

* TapOnTheHead: Alex and then Sophie when they wake up under Alex's piano. In Sophie's case, there is a bang and a yell of pain in the background as Alex is talking to Chris on the phone.

* CaptainObvious: Cora's comment to Alex and Sophie at her party: "Let me show you the roof, it's upstairs." [[SarcasmMode You don't say.]]

** When Sophie asks Alex how he'd feel if one of his musical heroes told him he was a terrible songwriter Alex implies that Music/BobDylan actually ''did'' say that to him once.

* NoodleIncident: An illegible note changes Sophie's lyric "a cloud above my bed" to "a clown above my bed." As they correct it, Sophie asks what a clown would be doing in someone's bed, to which Alex snarks "It wouldn't be the first time." Of course, this could just be Alex being silly.

* GloryDays: Subverted -- Alex isn't exactly thrilled with his lot, but is more or less resigned to it, never really demonstrating any burning desire to get back where he was and treating his fans and low-rent gigs with a sincere (albeit sardonic) affection. That said, he admits that he doesn't want to eventually be in such little demand that he's stuck "doing Bar Mitzvahs," which is what convinces him to take the job writing Cora's song.

* ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars: InUniverse. Alex is perfectly happy turning out schlock for Cora [[MoneyDearBoy if it means a paycheck]].
--> '''Alex''': We're not turning out the last movement of the Jupiter symphony. We're writing a three-minute song for someone whose last hit was "Welcome To Bootytown!" [[note]] It's actually "Entering Bootytown". [[/note]]

** Sophie has another one when she realises that she forgot that she was supposed to go to Gary and Rhonda's for dinner. By way of apology, she persuades Alex to go with her, knowing Rhonda is a big fan of his.

* RunningGag: Sophie the Plant Killer.

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: In the form of a [=VH1=] "Pop-Up Video" segment! [[spoiler: Cora had a short marriage, the film of Sloan's book was a disaster, Colin broke his hip during a POP reunion, and Alex and Sophie are still together, working on a new album (and his hip appeared to be fine).]]

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Sophie insists that Alex is just as talented a songwriter as his heroes, but Alex doesn't believe her, saying that Music/BobDylan and Smokey Robinson are like dinner, but he's "just dessert." [[spoiler:When he finally musters up the gall to write a song entirely solo, Sophie tells him "That was dinner!"]]

* CreatorBreakdown: [[invoked]] Explored; Alex makes a convincing argument that it's better to channel your personal issues into creative endeavours (and get paid for them) than moping around "being a little bit self-indulgent". [[spoiler: The first decent song he manages to write entirely by himself, "Don't Write Me Off", reflects this.]]
** Also parodied; it's suggested that "Greg the rhyming psychopath's" dark, grim lyrics are a reflection of this trope.