Autos
Baby
Beauty
Books
Computers
Education
Electronics
Health
Home & Garden
Local Places
Movies
Pets
Travel
Web Sites
more…
Baby
Beauty
Books
Computers
Education
Electronics
Health
Home & Garden
Local Places
Movies
Pets
Travel
Web Sites
more…
Walk Hard tries hard. Too hard.
DVD collector, comedy fan, a movie buff
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
APR
20
2008
"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" wants to send up the whole music biopic genre and not just the Cash flick. It almost kinda sorta but not really works. Reilly gets to show us just what a versitile actor he is and plays his character with a mock sincerity befitting a mock biography. He's genuinely fun to watch as a rising star who seems genuinely oblivious to the ridiculousness going on around him Shoot, sometimes, he's part of it.
The film begins promisingly enough with a young Dewey Cox accidentally cutting his younger brother in half during what is supposed to be a fake machete fight. The scene is hilarious and does a fine job of parodying the childhood "tragedies" influencing the star's trajectory toward fame and fortune. And, in a scene taking a knock at "Ray", Dewey is blamed for his brother's death much like Ray Charles was blamed for his brother's drowning.
Its all down hill from there as Judd Apatow rounds up much of the gang from Saturday Night Live or SNL recent past (Kristen Wiig, Tim Meadows, and Chris Parnell) along with Jenna Fischer from "The Office" to compliment Reilly. All do the best they can with the material, which plays more like a bunch of SNL skits stitched together than a cohesive film. It seems the writers (Apatow and Jake Kasdan) have taken scenes from several music biographies, "funnied" them up and put them in this film, held together by the flimsiest of chronological threads.
If you know Jenna Fischer only from "The Office" you will be surprised how sexy she can be and there are a host of famous cameos worth seeing. Apatow's attempt at parody is cloying and over done, with characters pausing too long at punch lines and scenes winking at us, as if to say, "See? it's parody? See? See what we are doing here? Ain't it funny?", like the drunk guy at a party who tells a joke that might be funny if he didn't feel the need to explain it to you as he tells it.
There are amusing and down right funny bits. At different stages in his career, Dewey goes back stage and opens a door to find his drummer (Tim Meadows) surrounded by back-up singers in various stages of undress. The drummer is always using some illegal substance and looks up at Cox and warns him that he never, ever wants to try this s#$%. Of course Dewey tries it suffers the consequences. Also, at random times, dear old dad turns up, referring to the death of Dewey's brother by saying, "The wrong one died!", then skittering off.
Apatow's attempt at broad parody falls flat as often as it amuses and proves his greatest strength as a writer lies with projects like "40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" which allow him to draw comedy from every day people in somewhat normal situations. Here, with "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story", his attempts at guffaws become mild amusements and he tries so hard to be funny it sometimes elicits cringes instead.
I marginally recommend this movie simply because some of the jokes are funny and, mostly we have excellent actors worth watching and some cameos worth seeing, like Jack Black as Paul McCartney. It's not a bad movie. It's just not a great one, and it should have been given the talent involved. GRADE: B-
Last edited on Apr 20, 2008
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is recommended by MikeMaroon
Comments about MikeMaroon’s Review
Other reviews by MikeMaroon
Iron Man Review - "Who woulda thought a hunk of metal could be so cool?"Elton John - Top Five Albums Review - "Get back, Honky Cat, I got EJ's...Lady Antebellum - Self-titled Album Review - "Contemporary country gets...80's People - More Greatest Hits of the 80's Review - "Every Little Kiss...
