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10 Romantic Comedies With Killer Interiors

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:08 PDT

Romantic comedies may get a bad rap for cheesy, predictable plots, but I must hand it to them for triumphing when it comes to set design. Ready to see a few of my favorite romantic comedy interiors? Here we go!

Music and Lyrics: In Praise of Pop

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:03:27 PST

In Music and Lyrics, Hugh Grant plays Alex Fletcher, an aging pop star from an '80s band called Pop who, in his heyday, looked like a cross between Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes and Wham!’s George Michael. He has been reduced to performing at theme parks and on the VH1-esque “Battle of the 80’s Has-Beens” until one day he receives word that Cora Corman, the pop princess du jour, wants him to help her compose a song for her new album.

Although Alex hires a professional lyricist, it's only when Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) comes to water his plants and shows a surprising knack for songwriting that the tune - and their love - come together. Music, meet lyrics.

A mixed bag, to be sure, Music and Lyrics gets off to a clunky start and ends in a predictable pool of feel-good treacle. But it’s the chewy center of this Tootsie Pop of a film that makes it worth watching, so

The scenes between Barrymore and Grant in Alex’s Manhattan apartment, as they attempt to cobble together the catchy tune “Find A Way Back Into Love,” are reminiscent of Woody Allen’s great 70’s New York films like Annie Hall. Here, Grant and Barrymore (who do their own singing) share a relaxed, silly, and sweet rapport that makes their surprising chemistry work. As Sophie paces around clicking her pen, we discover that she has given up her desire to write because of an ex-lover who convinced her she was no good.

Melodies are like sex, Sophie theorizes, and lyrics are like getting to know one another. The build-up of Alex and Sophie’s attraction around this conceit of song-writing actually works. You get caught up in their romance, and although you know they sleep together, it’s the long-awaited performance of their completed song that that constitutes the true climax of Music and Lyrics.

It is in these song-writing scenes, as well, that the film forges its “defense of pop” thesis. Pop is an oft-maligned genre, but Sophie tries to convince Alex that both his band Pop and the genre itself have their virtues. “How many novels does it take to create the feeling of one good pop song?“ she asks. She’s got a point, I found myself thinking. Certain good pop songs allow us to mainline their emotions, providing quick hits of fun or even redemption in one short, sweet package. Like a good pop song, the romantic comedy must also find a balance between fluff and meaning, and Music and Lyrics interjects enough “minor key” moments into its silly notes that you actually walk away feeling that you’ve met people you care about.

In the end, Music and Lyrics makes a claim for a nostalgic kind of pop, before the over-produced likes of Britney and Avril came along. At the end of the film, when Cora and Alex finally perform “Find a Way Back Into Love,” Cora eschews her Britney-esque stage antics (involving Buddha and a lot of gyrating) and just sings the heartfelt duet. I’m humming the song right now as I write this, and I agree with the teenage girl I overheard as I left the theater saying, “I want that song as my ringtone!”

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Music and Lyrics

BuzzSugar — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 08:12:43 PST

In the new romantic comedy Music and Lyrics, Hugh Grant plays a washed up singer in need of new lyrics. Drew Barrymore plays the person who helps him write those lyrics, and they grow fond of each other. Predictions: Drew Barrymore is a cutesy goofball, and Hugh Grant is a sexless, aging bloke with some dry one-liners and near-vertical eyebrows.

Who knows? Maybe this movie will surprise me by being super interesting and fun. Until I find out, though, I'm going in with a wary eye. Look for my review on Wednesday, and to watch the trailer,

Because I Said So: Mama Said There'd Be Movies Like This

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 10:52:15 PST

Let me preface this review by saying that I have, up until this moment, been a firm supporter of Diane Keaton. I’ve loved her from Annie Hall through Baby Boom, and I even stuck by her during the Something’s Gotta Give period. Yet her newest movie, Because I Said So, leaves me feeling a deep and confusing disappointment that's going to take a long time to get over.

This isn’t one of those bad-good films that's silly and campy in a heartwarming way. This is bad-bad all the way. Think squirming in embarrassment during moments of random 4-part singing without an ounce of irony. Multiply that feeling by a thousand and then decide if you want to see this movie. My advice is: don't.

Keaton plays Daphne Wilder, an overbearing, manic 60-year-old mother of three grown daughters, two of whom are married. The third child, Milly (Mandy Moore), despite being a responsible and happy person, is the one trouble spot in Daphne's life because she hasn't found her "life partner." So Daphne takes out an online ad to find a suitable mate for Milly. As a result, two different bachelors start courting Milly: a dreamboat musician (made "edgy" by his tattoos) and another guy who is laughably lame (rich, uptight, and cold). Amidst all this meddling, Daphne almost misses out on her own chance at love. Almost, but of course, not quite, so

The actresses in this film may have had fun making it, but the relationships ring empty, and the moments that are supposed to be truthful are reduced to high-pitched indecipherable squealing. Keaton is so shrieky and over-the-top that the only point I felt anything other than irritation toward Daphne is when she catches a flu, loses her voice, and has a quiet moment with Milly discussing orgasms. This relaxed moment happens to be Mandy Moore’s finest as well; otherwise her starry-eyed naivete is tiresome.

Lauren Graham is refreshing as Lorelai Gilmore - oops, I mean Milly's sister Maggie. Though slightly tamer than her Loralei character, she basically provides the same deadpan humor. Piper Perabo plays Milly's other sister, Mae, and she's barely in the movie. The "7th Heaven" dad (Stephen Collins) is actually endearing and sweet for the whole six lines he's allowed, while the other guys are 2-dimensional but very cute (especially the musician, played by Gabriel Macht).

There's also an appearance by Tony Hale, who was excellent as Buster Bluth in "Arrested Development," so it's a shame that he's involved in the most eye-rollingly bad writing in the entire film. Loralei/Maggie is a therapist who meets regularly with Stuart (Hale), who says he responded to a personal ad that a woman took out for her daughter. Maggie proceeds to belittle any woman who would stoop to that kind of low, not knowing she's bashing her own mother. When Stuart says the woman's reasoning for not having him date her daughter was "because I said so," Maggie realizes he's talking about her mother! Because clearly, no other mother in the course of history has ever used that catch phrase. Remember that confused disappointment I mentioned? This moment helped to solidify that.

I've already expressed my distaste for the term "chick flick," and this movie really exacerbates the issue. I am a chick, and I don’t identify with a single minute of the rubbish that is this movie. In fact, Because I Said So only serves to fulfill every tired cliché that women are typically lumped into - and worse, it treats female singlehood like a hereditary disease. With the help of modern science (the Internet), Daphne does everything in her power to disable the nasty gene that could leave Milly to doomed to the apparent misery of not having a husband.

It's a sad day for me and Diane Keaton. I'm going to watch Annie Hall this weekend and weep for the good ol' days. I suggest you do the same.

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Watch Reese Witherspoon Flirt With Chris Pine in an Exclusive Deleted Scene From This Means War

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:55:35 PDT

This Means War comes out on DVD this week, and even if you caught the flick in theaters, it might be worth another watch to see Reese Witherspoon getting romanced by her ultracute and charming costars, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. The DVD also has another special treat: a deleted scene featuring Witherspoon's character Lauren flirting with Pine's FDR. Watch them show off their cute chemistry in this postdate scene!

Pregnant Reese Witherspoon Takes on a Tennis Match

Lauren Turner — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:13 PDT

Reese Witherspoon hit the tennis court with friends in Brentwood, CA, this morning. She grabbed a racket for the workout session and showed off her pregnant belly in a fitted top - check out FitSugar's picks for comfortable maternity activewear. While Reese awaits the arrival of her third child, she's been spending time with family. She went for a hike with her kids, Ava and Deacon, and father, John, on Saturday and joined husband, Jim Toth, to watch Deacon's flag football game over the weekend. Reese also had some recent professional excitement, since her romantic comedy This Means War was released on DVD this week, and we got an exclusive look at a deleted scene from the movie.

Is Heidi Klum Trying to Make Seal Jealous?

Katie Henry — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:45:36 PDT

Heidi Klum debuts racy new music video - People
Find out who ranks highest on Gwyneth Paltrow's friend list - Lainey Gossip
Adam Lambert makes chart-topping history - HuffPost Entertainment
Is John Mayer referencing Fifty Shades of Grey to pick up ladies? - The Superficial
Tara Reid has a new boyfriend - D-Listed
Bar Refaeli says men don't ask her out - JustJared
Tracy Morgan thinks Obama needs a tattoo - BuzzFeed
Irina Shayk gets to work in a bikini - Hollywood Tuna
Who has the top celebrity fragrance of 2012? - Pink Is the New Blog
Gillian Zinser dropped from the cast of 90210 - Zap2It
Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton party in Cannes - TooFab
Small fire breaks out at Kim Zolciak's home - ET Online
Aubrey Plaza has a romantic comedy idea for Ryan Gosling - The Frisky
Will Hulu's original programming change TV? - The Daily Beast

Cameron Diaz Leads Her What to Expect Costars Overseas

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:08:29 PDT

Cameron Diaz and several of her What to Expect When You're Expecting costars hit the red carpet in London today to bring the romantic comedy to England. Cameron sported a sexy, strapless Stella McCartney jumpsuit for the British unveiling of the film. She's been busy promoting the adaptation of the best-selling book in the States for several weeks already. Cameron stopped by Chelsea Lately to dish on her own feelings about family and motherhood, and also teamed up with her costar Jennifer Lopez to pay a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Jennifer had to skip the overseas trip this week and stay put in LA for the finale episodes of American Idol, which air tonight and tomorrow. While Jennifer missed out on today's festivities, Anna Kendrick, in Christian Dior, and Chace Crawford, who play a couple in the movie, were on hand. So were Matthew Morrison, Cameron's love interest in the movie, and Rodrigo Santoro, who plays J Lo's husband.

What to Expect When You're Expecting: Brings a Surprising Amount of Belly Laughs

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:00:00 PDT

Ever since Love Actually captured hearts and audiences with its huge cast and sweet intersecting story lines, there's been an overflow of ensemble comedies, and fatigue has officially set in. There are usually too many characters and subplots, and while What to Expect When You're Expecting does have a star-studded cast and a lot going on, it's funnier and more engrossing than most of the movies in the genre.

The characters are all dealing with some aspect of parenthood: there's Cameron Diaz as Jules, a trainer on a Biggest Loser-like show who gets pregnant by her dancing partner (Matthew Morrison) from a Dancing With the Stars-like show. There's Holly and Alex (Jennifer Lopez and Rodrigo Santoro), a couple who resorts to adoption, while Rosie and Marco (Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford) have a fling that leads to her pregnancy. Elizabeth Banks plays Wendy, a woman who's grateful to finally be expecting but is disappointed when she feels more gross than glowy, and in contrast, her younger mother-in-law (Brooklyn Decker) is having the most effortless pregnancy in history. Sure, it's way too perfect that everyone conceives their children around the same time, but the movie is filled with enough humor and warmth to compensate. To find out what else I thought about What to Expect When You're Expecting, just keep reading.