Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Review by Loc

The whole Judd Apatow wave of foolishness is getting ridiculous. It seems like any adult-related comedy that’s been released in the last two years has his name attached to it. Or any new trailers for comedies are required to have the tagline, “From the guys who brought you Knocked Up and Superbad and The 40 Year Old Virgin and every other movie with Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, or that fat kid from Superbad.” Judd is the new Farrelly Brothers, complete with overexposure and built-in comedy crew in the form of Rogen, Rudd, Jonah Hill, with some Will Ferrell and John C Reilly. So, it’s a bit surprising that the music biopic comedy, Walk Hard, has had a difficult time at the box office. Quick hit: it was actually a very funny flick.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story is a bit difficult to classify. At some points, it’s a straight-up comedy. At other points, it’s a satirical farce of the biopic genre. And at other times, it’s an in-your-face raunch joke where you expect Will Ferrell to crash the show. Yet, through all the different hats, Walk Hard hits high notes and funny beats. It’s a nice blend of humor, jokes, and goofiness.

In taking on the music biopic, Walk Hard hits some classic clichés with little trepidation. Some jokes are less than inspired, like Dewey destroying sinks every time something goes wrong. Yet, the script has the resolve to keep pushing that joke in a pseudo-serious manner that fits the genre so well that the joke actually becomes funnier throughout the movie. Other jokes like the ages being portrayed by old actors, the quarrelsome bandmates, and the requisite experimentation with drugs play out relatively well.

Another piece of the formula is tackled in reliving the musical eras of the last 60 years. From the Elvis-inspired 50s and 60s to the acid-fueled hazes and disco balls of the 70s, Walk Hard takes the audience on a tongue-in-cheek ride for the ages. And surprisingly enough, the Dewey Cox songs are fun, catchy, and humorous for each era. From the title song, Walk Hard, to the double-entendre festival that is Duet With Me, the songs have humorous lyrics which are accompanied by legitimate sounding music. Part of the charm of this movie is the earnest music, songs that are played for a laugh, but songs that don’t pander for an audience reaction.

Lastly, the Dewey Cox character hits all the clichéd life moments in perfect form. From the childhood tragedy to the early days of enormous success to the final days of reflection, Cox is your legendary stereotype played to perfection. John C Reilly’s talents come into play as he delivers a spot-on performance without reducing the role into full sight-gag territory. It’s a great job of balancing the acid-fueled underwear streaking with the honest-yet-stupid character that allows the film to transcend the simpleton comedy.

Overall, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a pleasant surprise. It’s more than a biopic parody, but there are Scream- and Naked Gun-type moments. It’s more than a music comedy, but the songs do play out very well. Yet, trying to distill this film into specific genre components leaves is impossible. In the end, this is a film where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Out of 5 horribly conceived songs, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story delivers with 3.5 laugh-out-loud tracks. And keep your eyes out for the Apatow Gang cameos: Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, and Justin Long as the Beatles.