rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2007
Directed by Jake Kasdan; produced by Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan, Clayton Townsend; written by Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan
Starring John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Raymond J. Barry, Margo Martindale, Kristen Wiig, Harold Ramis, Frankie Muniz, Eddie Vedder, The Temptations, Lyle Lovett, John Michael Higgins, Jack Black, Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Paul Rudd, Jason Schwartzman
After 'Ray', 'Walk the Line', 'Beyond the Sea', 'La môme' and 'I'm Not There' (already taking a different approach) we finally have a working spoof dealing with musician's biopics. Especially Johnny Cash's story is taken for the life of Dewey Cox, a great guitar player without being able to smell. It is not as funny as mockumentaries 'This Is Spinal Tap' or 'A Mighty Wind' but it shows some inspiring moments, becoming a narrative to recommend here.
Of course there have been comedies about music before ('School of Rock' comes to mind), but not in this form. 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story' goes over the top, but stays within certain limits. It never gets 'Hot Shots!' although it contains those moments too. Dewey has a wife and kids at the age of fifteen and has learned to play the guitar with the use of his ear instead of his nose. You see what I mean.
The story in a film like this is not really the point, since it only uses clichés from the lives of different musicians. Of course this involves women and drugs, a downfall, and some great music to make it seem all a little bit better. The original music in 'Walk Hard' is not great, but I was fairly amused. John C. Reilly's performance, in general, but especially while performing his musical numbers, is extraordinary, and creates the right feeling with a comedy twist.
I have seen better spoofs, funnier too, but this film does the job right in creating both an engaging character piece and a sometimes hilariously stupid comedy. I mean, we all loved Lt. Frank Drebin from 'The Naked Gun' and most of us laughed until crying. The comparison is too much when it comes to pure quality, but it does not stop 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story' from getting quite close.