Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language.
Directed by Jake Kasdan
Starring John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer

Recently, anything with Judd Apatow's name attached to it has been comedy gold. Whether he directs it ("40 Year Old Virgin," "Knocked Up") or produces it ("Superbad"), Apatow's films are almost guaranteed to offer plenty of laughs.
"Walk Hard," produced and co-written by Apatow, is no different, though it ranks below all of the films I mentioned above.
deliberately obvious parody of musical biopics, especially "Walk the Line" and "Ray," "Walk Hard" Chronicles the rise and fall, and rise again, and fall again, etc. of fictitious rock musician Dewey Cox. Modeled after Johnny Cash, Cox starts out as a naive country boy who, following a tragic yet simultaneously hysterical incident, sets off on his own to become a famous musician. Cox's journey mirrors the phases of Cash and other artists from that period, including early rock from the 50s, drug-use fueled stardom during the 60s, and his attempt to reconcile his fame with his personal life.

John C. Reilly is awesome as Cox, both in terms of comedy and his singing. All of the original songs from the film are performed by Reilly himself, and while many are raucously funny, others are simply legitimate good music. However, Cox doesn't ever feel like a character you can relate to, but rather just a string of phases. This is no fault of Reilly's, but the script, written by Apatow and Kasdan.

The duo clearly had a set objective in mind when they conceived of Cox and his life, but many times they take the easy jokes when they could've been more creative. This doesn't mean the jokes aren't funny; seeing Reilly portray Cox as a fourteen-year-old is hilarious. But some of the humor simply seems too obvious and too awkward to even elicit a chuckle. The plot, too, drags on for quite some time in the middle of the film, and takes away from the frantically funny pace of the first hour or so.

Still, the soundtrack and Reilly's songs alone are worth the price of admission. Jenna Fischer is more than just a pretty face as Cox's duet-partner and love interest, Darlene Madison. In some of the raunchier scenes it's hard to take her seriously (well, the whole movie isn't meant to take seriously, I guess). In these moments I was tempted to shout "Hey Pam! Does Jim know about this?"; for the majority of the movie, though, she is a pleasure to watch.


The celebrity cameos are simply brilliant. I won't go into detail; let's just say that the four actors who portray the Beatles during their Magical Mystery Tour phase are great. Also, see if you can recognize who plays Elvis.
As a final disclaimer, the R rating is well deserved. There is a ton of drug use, sure, but also, dare I say, a vulgar amount of nudity and even gore in two or three particular scenes. This is definitely not one for the kids.
Predictable? Oh yeah. Boring in parts? Unfortunately so. But funny? You better believe it. This may not be a platinum or even a gold hit, but "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" won't only have you laughing, but maybe even singing along.
Score: 6.5/10

Posted by
Brian McCarthy