Hugh and Drew's tuneful partnership

When you think about the romantic-comedy genre two heavyweight names who immediately spring to mind are Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.And yet, in spite of their names having such a nice nursery rhyme ring to them, Hugh and Drew have never shared a boy-falls-in-love-with-the-girl-he-least-expected-to storyline.But in 'Music and Lyrics' the archetypal floppy-haired British gent and ultimate funny girl-next-door have finally teamed up.And the man leading this rom-com superduo is another superhero of the genre, director Marc Lawrence.Marc is the force behind such chick-flicks as 'Miss Congeniality', 'Two Weeks Notice', 'Forces of Nature' and, of course, 'Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous' - all starring another rom-com queen Sandra Bullock.After working with Hugh, 46, on 'Two Weeks Notice', Marc was keen to be reunited with the actor - if only to have somebody to be broody with."He's miserable and unhappy and brooding most of the time", revealed Marc. "And so am I, so I'm very attracted to people like that."

In his latest offering, Marc sticks to the tried-and-tested formula of love blossoming when two people accidentally stumble into one another's lives.

In 'Music and Lyrics' the couple we are all rooting for is commitment-phobe Alex Fletcher (Hugh) and jaded Sophie Fisher (Drew).

Alex is a washed-up 80s pop star who has seen his fame fade and is now scraping a living by playing revival gigs at high school reunions. Sophie is his quirky plant lady who is recovering from having her heart and writing talent publicly trampled on in a best-selling book by the creative writing tutor she had a doomed affair with.

The pair are brought together when Alex's services are enlisted to write a hit song about heartbreak for the new Britney-esque pop sensation. Unbeknown to the record company Alex has no clue how to write the lyrics to a song - he was just the music man. By coincidence Alex discovers Sophie has a flare for words and she is roped in to save his skin.

And before you can say boy-meets-girl, their chemistry is setting the screen alight. Through music and lyrics the couple learn to face up to their fears and say what they truly feel.

Hugh fell in love with the script as soon as it dropped on his doormat because, unlike other scripts he has seen, it was "ha, ha funny".

"Well, it was funny", Hugh explained. "That is always the problem. I get a lot of these things. Some of them are very charming but seldom really ha, ha, funny. And the bloke who wrote this, Marc Lawrence, is funny and his dialogue has a cackle and a snap and a pop! Plus I think a romantic comedy has to come from the heart, sometimes they look like they are a little bit processed and have come out of the studio system, but this comes from one man and he really means it. All the stuff in the film - music, New York, all that - is very close to Marc Lawrence's heart and that really matters."

As for working with Drew, Hugh revealed she definitely had the raw end of the deal.

"I felt sorry for Drew", the actor conceded. "She's full of laughter, sunshine and positive feelings. I am the exact reverse - a little cloud of misery."

Despite his best efforts to play up to his grumpy image, Hugh's 31-year-old co-star has given the game away and revealed the actor was anything but the curmudgeon he paints himself to be.

In fact, the stars seemingly got on so well that Drew even gave Hugh an endearing nickname.

In her typical sunny demeanour, she gushed: "Hubert was super-funny, charming and a complete gentlemen.

"I love love and laughter. They're the two most important things in life and Hubert is an ace and a king and a master of what he does. I love his films."

Drew also explained that their contrasting personalities created a perfect balance, saying "we are a bit of ying and yang".

So, for director Marc creating onscreen chemistry between his stars was not a problem.

However, Hugh joked there was a problem when it came to making him look in his 20s.

He quipped: "I was a little disturbed because there is this pop video from the 80s at the beginning of the film and they had to try and make me look in my 20s.

"They got the most expensive hair, makeup and wardrobe people from around America, worked on me for a day and they reduced me from 46 to about 45 I would say and changed my sex. I looked like an old tart with too much rouge."

As well as a rather dodgy looking 80s Hugh, and the chance to listen to Hugh's vocal talents, audiences are also treated to his unforgettable hip-thrusting.

After his side-splitting dance sequence in 'Love Actually', which saw him as a British Prime Minister rocking-out to 'Jump', fans have been crying out for some more classic Hugh dance moves - and he has finally delivered.

Hugh has even hung on to some of the moves for his personal use, joking: "You know I am in the disco most nights. I have so many moves, it's hard to know which ones are my favourite."

Unfortunately, for all those gathered in the cold last week to catch a glimpse of their idols for the film's London premiere, Hugh didn't display any of his fancy footwork.

He did however turn up with his girlfriend Jemima Khan on his arm, looking very much like the man who got the leggy attractive girlfriend.

Drew, on the other hand, was flying solo after recently splitting from her boyfriend of four-and-a-half years The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti.

But true-to-Drew-form the actress remained in good spirits.

Well, an ex-boyfriend is just a minor wobble when compared to Drew's fabled childhood - the well-documented Hollywood tale of a child star losing her innocence, drinking aged nine, smoking pot by 10 and snorting cocaine at 12.

Asked if she believed in true love following her latest failed romance, she joked: "No, not at all I have a black heart and I believe in cynicism."

When questioned about her thoughts on there being just one person for everybody, she added: "I believe there are many partners for everybody."

Ironically, despite their differences Hugh and Drew share a spooky common ground with the characters they portray in the film. One is nursing a wounded heart, and the other is a commitment-phobe - step forward Hugh, who if reports are to be believed, would run a mile before tying the knot.

Who knows, if things keep playing out the way they are Hugh and Drew could soon be hanging up their scripts and marching to the recording studio.

A career move Drew is not averse to. Asked if she would be following up her singing in the film with a debut album, she quipped: "If I ever did it would be a dream come true, because I've always been told, 'Please stop singing.' "

By Kate Sole.