Performed by a small ensemble concisting of piano, guitars, double bass and percussion, John Powell's score for the romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice is loaded with jazzy and groovy rythms. It's an intimate score, that refreshingly manages to avoid the traditional orchestral swells almost always heard in scores for romantic films. Due to the fact that the orchestra is absent throughout the entire score, of course! No matter how lovely these romantic outbursts might be, they are after all a cliché, so it's nice to get something different for a change. The result is a charming little score, that won't sweep you away with orchestral, or thematic, grandeur, but makes for some terrific background, lounge styled, music and demonstrates Powell's diversity as a composer.
The main theme is a lovely, albeit rather simple, melody that shows up in a large number of cues. Performed by a solo piano in the opening "Love Theme" and given a beautiful treatment by an acoustic guitar, backed up by soft keyboards and percussion, in "Helicopter Ride", this is the scores' largest asset. "Bobcat Pretzel" includes some jassy piano solos, supported by guitar and percussion. Nice.
The cues are quite short - only a couple of minutes long - which of course is a problem when it comes to developing musical ideas - there's just not enough time. The result is a somewhat shattered listening experience, with cues which, even if they are related when it comes to sound, are a little fragmented and abrupt.
Two Weeks Notice is certainly not a must have, and Powell has written better, more enjoyable scores. But it's a beautiful listen, with some excellent writing - especially for the piano and the guitar - even if it is rather short with its thirty minutes of music.