Product Description
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One of the most iconic figures in rock history, Dewey
Cox (John C. Reilly) had it all: the women (over 411 served), the
friends (Elvis, The Beatles) and the rock 'n' roll lifestyle (a
close and personal relationship with every pill and powder known
to man). But most of all, he had the music that transformed a
dimwitted country boy into the greatest American rock star who
never lived. A wild and wicked send-up of every musical biopic
ever made, WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY is gut-busting proof
that when it comes to hard rocking, living and laughing, a hard
man is good to find.
.com
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The Pixar-like roll of Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old
Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad) continues with another sure-fire
hit. In charting the meteoric rise, catastrophic fall and
Lazarus-like rise of rocker Dewey Cox, Walk Hard parodies the
classic Hollywood bio-pic, cashing in mostly on Walk the Line.
John C. Reilly, one of Hollywood's most solid character actors,
makes the most of his Golden Globe-nominated star turn as Dewey,
whose road to stardom is paved with a childhood tragedy that
cls the life of his prodigiously talented brother ("The wrong
kid died," is his her's mantra), instant stardom (his first
record is a hit just 35 minutes after it was recorded), sex and
drugs, and the inevitable "dark (effen) period" that leads him to
rehab. Reilly gets solid backup from current and former Saturday
Night Live alumni, including Kirsten Wiig as his incredibly
fertile first wife who has no faith in his musical aspirations
("You're never going to make it," she cheerily ends one phone
call); Tim Meadows, never better, as Dewey's drummer, who, in one
of the film's best scenes, does a poor job of dissuading him from
trying marijuana); and Chris Parnell as his bass player. Jenna
Fischer leaves Pam back at The Office as Darlene, Dewey's
virtuous duet partner. Hilarious cameos give Walk Hard a great
"Hey!" factor: Hey, that's Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly. Hey,
that's "Kenneth" from 30 Rock. Hey, there's Jack Black and Paul
Rudd as--no kidding--Paul McCartney and John Lennon revealing "a
rift in the Beatles." Some of the jokes are obvious (come on; the
guy's last name is Cox), others inspired. But the
decades-spanning music, echoing the styles of gritty Johnny Cash,
romantic Roy Orbison, obtuse Bob Dylan, trippy Brian Wilson, and
even a bit of anachronistic punk rock, is as pitch perfect and
affectionately observed as in The Rutles, This Is Spinal Tap and
A Mighty Wind. Walk Hard earns its R-rating, particularly for a
sure-to-be-talked-about scene of hotel-room debauchery. But:
Hilarious? Outrageous? Twisted? To quote the title of one of
Dewey's hit songs, "Guilty as Charged." --Donald Liebenson
On the DVD
Though an unaccountable box office disappointment, Walk Hard is
poised for discovery and cult status on DVD. You'd think the film
had pretty much exhausted all the puns and double-entendres you
could get out of Dewey Cox's last name, but the Elvis-inspired "A
Christmas Song from Dewey Cox," the "Cox Sausage Commercial" and
"The Real Dewey Cox," which are among this two-disc set's extra
features, manages to get even more mileage out of that juvenile
joke. Speaking of which, there is a "cockumentary" devoted to
actor Tyler Nilson, who provides the film with its most shocking
laugh during the hotel orgy scene, The Unbearably Long,
Self-Indulgent Director's Cut contains, ahem, extended footage of
that scene and features the deleted setups for some of the
theatrical cut's more inexplicable gags (a deleted montage
reveals just how Dewey and band member Theo wound up in bed
together). Better than a gag reel is the "Line-O-Rama," a
hit-and-miss compilation of improv outtakes. Full song
performances give this film's O-worthy music its due. The
Daily Show's John Hodgman gets "The Last Word" in a celebrity
profile spoof that was originally broadcast on Comedy Central.
With a more traditional "Making of" featurette and entertaining
audio commentary by writer Judd Apatow, director Jake Kasdan, and
star John C. Reilly, Walk Hard walks even harder on DVD. --Donald
Liebenson
Beyond Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
On Blu-ray ( /gp/product/B0012IWRDC/ref=d_ap_DeweyCox_1 )
The Soundtrack ( /gp/product/B000XCZD5C/ref=d_ap_DeweyCox_2 )
UMD for PSP ( /gp/product/B0012IWO08/ref=d_ap_Deweycox_2 )
Stills from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (click for larger
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