Music and Lyrics (PG) ****

11:13am Tuesday 20th February 2007

DESPITE vowing at the premiere of the last Bridget Jones movie that he was finished with romantic comedies, Hugh Grant is back in this love-associated month of February starring in, yes, a romantic comedy.

The 46-year-old actor made his name with Four Weddings and a Funeral before becoming the British king of the romcom, notching up appearances in Richard Curtis' American-friendly fare, such as Notting Hill and Love Actually.

But it's not just any Hollywooder who has tempted him back to the genre. Marc Lawrence, who was the scribe of Miss Congeniality and directed Hugh in perhaps his best romcom ever, the delightful Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock, is the writer and director of this new film, Music and Lyrics.

And when you add that quality factor to the favour he owes his co-star Drew Barrymore, who was one of only two people to write him a note of support after 1995's Divine Brown scandal - the other was, bizarrely, Francis Ford Coppola - then you have an irresistible option for Mr Grant. Luckily for him, the end result is surprisingly sweet and satisfying.

It's a nicely judged tale of a has-been pop star who teams up with a dotty plant-carer (yes really), to write a song for new pop sensation Cora, who professes to be spiritual but just dances around wearing very little to keep the money rolling in.

It all begins brilliantly with a great 1984 music video in which Hugh goes all New Romantic in a frilly shirt as his character Alex Fletcher, part of the band Pop!.

	Film focus
	Starring: Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore Director: Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice) Running time: 96 minutes In a word: Sweet Our verdict: Watch it If you want to know more: www.musicandlyrics. warnerbros.com

Switch to the present, and poor Alex is having to suffer the ignominy of being courted by television stations to appear in awful programmes like Battle of the 1980s Has Beens, a boxing show where the winner gets to sing one of their hits.

Then Cora gets in touch. Trouble is, Alex is good at the music part, not the writing of lyrics. Lucky, then, that quirky Sophie Fisher comes to look after the foliage in his flat. She's "Cole Porter in panties", and so he convinces her to help him write a song, discovering the secrets of her past in the process.

Whatever your opinion of Hugh, there's no denying he's good at what he does, and with a co-star as charming as Drew alongside him, half the battle for the audience's affections is over.

Some standout scenes, mostly where Hugh hams it up for reunion audiences and screaming females, buoy the heavier, less successful moments, and if you expect gentle smiles and a few laughs, rather than out and out hysterics, from the film, you won't be disappointed.

Hugh and Drew's easy, unaffected chemistry, plus nice support from Third Rock From the Sun's Kristen Johnston as Sophie's Pop!-loving sister, makes for very pleasant viewing - and, despite yourself, you'll be wearing a broad grin come the inevitable, PG-cute, conclusion.