Music and Lyrics is a romantic comedy that connects an old pop star from the 80’s, Alex Fletcher, together with an early poetry blogger, Sophie Fisher. Their first encounter takes place when Sophie arrives at Alex’s apartment to water his plants while he is with his lyricists. His lyricists and he are trying to write a song for a current teen sensation, Cora. Sophie, being her bubbly self, mumbles a few verses in the background. Alex overhears her and realizes that she has a talent with words. He later asks her for the favor of writing Cora’s new song. At first, she was hesitant to do it, but eventually Alex talks her into doing it.
Sophie plays a main character role in the film. She not only helps Alex with writing a new hit song for Cora, but also is there for motivation and encouragement to help him step out of his comfort zone. Alex is hesitant to perform in front of a middle age crowd at a park/fair because he feels that the audience no longer cares for him. He tells his manager he is singing only one song, but Sophie insists on him playing one more. She tells him he is THE Alex Fletcher, the audience is here for him, and if they did not care, they would not be screaming his name to get back on stage and perform. Sophie’s role in the movie is not to be an object for men to “gaze at,” but she is a supporter and Alex’s backbone. She helps him write a hit new song, because he honestly feels that he could not do it without her help.
In the movie, Sophie formerly worked for the weight loss program for her sister, Rhonda. Rhonda is the other female actor who plays a decent-sized role in the film. Sophie and Rhonda, even though they are siblings, have very different body types. Sophie is petite, with no muscle or fat on her body. She is not a curvy girl, meaning she does not have big breasts or butt. She is single and has no children of her own. Her fashion style is very modest and well put- together. On the other hand, Rhonda is married and has two kids. Her role is constructed to be the one that “wears the pants in the relationship.” She is very intimidating, and that could be because of her size. She is much taller than her husband, which automatically tells the viewer she is the dominant one. Rhonda’s body type can be described as big- boned, or a “big girl;” she is not fat. She is larger than most women, and this helps with her role in the movie, to aid the viewer understand her relationship with her family. In one scene, she is yelling at her kids to go to bed. She tells them that if they don’t go to sleep, she will send their father into the room. That statement had no effect; so, in a deeper voice, she tells them she will be coming into their room if they don’t go to sleep. Immediately they run to their rooms, and not another word is spoken from the children. However, the only time Rhonda and Sophie interact with each other is when they are discussing Alex. Rhonda is a die-hard fan of Alex Fletcher, so his name is frequently brought into the conversation. In one scene, Sophie and Rhonda are in Rhonda’s kitchen, and their whole conversation is about the relation between Alex and Sophie. Rhonda makes sure she tells Sophie to be careful and that she loves her. The kitchen scene is one of the few conversations they had about Alex.
I gave this film a D on the rep test. No one of a different race or culture had a significant role in the movie. Neither was there anyone from the LGBT community. The film did not have an important character with a disability, except for a 30-second scene in which the deskman at Alex’s apartment is deaf. This movie was a typical white romantic comedy: the main characters meet and have a conflict that rips them apart, but the male character expresses his love through some action, asking for her forgiveness. Then they fall in love with each other, and live happily ever after. I do not think that the rep test is a beneficial way of grading movies. I believe that a good movie is based on the plot and how it connects to the viewer. To make a good movie should not be based on a film’s having multiple major female roles (which have names), and talk to each other for more than 30 seconds about something besides a man. Neither should it be based on the film’s having major characters who are gays, lesbians, or a physically challenged persons. Sometimes these people do not hold any significance to the movie. They can’t just add a gay or a physically challenged person to a film without it having some significance or being beneficial to the plot line. Hollywood is trying to be too hard to be politically correct, and women are still fighting to be treated equal as men. However, none of this should be a part of how to grade a film, and whether it has qualifications to be nominated for an award. A good plot, and the way the audience reacts to the movie, should determine how well regarded a film is.
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