Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
| Year: | 2007 |
| Production Co: | Apatow Productions |
| Studio: | Columbia |
| Director: | Jake Kasdan |
| Producer: | Jake Kasdan/Judd Apatow |
| Writer: | Jake Kasdan/Judd Apatow |
| Cast: | John C Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Raymond J Barry, Frankie Muniz, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, Jason Schwartzman |
The Apatow team once again strike many a brilliant chord in subtle, real-world comedy. Ironically they also stumble at times, some of the jokes looking too much like those of the recent Selzter/Friedberg ____ Movie craze - too overbaked, too obtuse and just not funny.
But it's where the subtlety shines as John C Reilly plays music star Dewey Cox and the movie charts his life, rise to prominence and the chapters in his life.
It's also a very broad swipe at Ray, Walk the Line and the other musical biopics that have conquered the box office in recent years. Watch as Dewey fucks some skank while high on drugs and screams with frustrated rage 'this is a dark period'. Or when his bandmates walk out on him after his tantrums and addictions become too much, the drummer saying 'this seems like the end of an important chapter in your life'.
Riffing as much on pop culture (the lyrics of the Bob Dylan-esque folk song are a scream) as the grandiose self-importance of movies who consider mere singers akin to gods, there are plenty of laughs all the way through, none more than Cox sharing a trip in an Indian ashram with Justin Long, Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles.
Not the classic in The 40 Year Old Virgin's class, but the stamp of Apatow humour is there.
But it's where the subtlety shines as John C Reilly plays music star Dewey Cox and the movie charts his life, rise to prominence and the chapters in his life.
It's also a very broad swipe at Ray, Walk the Line and the other musical biopics that have conquered the box office in recent years. Watch as Dewey fucks some skank while high on drugs and screams with frustrated rage 'this is a dark period'. Or when his bandmates walk out on him after his tantrums and addictions become too much, the drummer saying 'this seems like the end of an important chapter in your life'.
Riffing as much on pop culture (the lyrics of the Bob Dylan-esque folk song are a scream) as the grandiose self-importance of movies who consider mere singers akin to gods, there are plenty of laughs all the way through, none more than Cox sharing a trip in an Indian ashram with Justin Long, Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles.
Not the classic in The 40 Year Old Virgin's class, but the stamp of Apatow humour is there.