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Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

tomatometer

74

Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 138
Fresh: 102 | Rotten: 36

A parody that pokes fun at rock stars and reductive biopics alike, this comedy sings in large part because of stellar performances and clever original music.

74

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 9

A parody that pokes fun at rock stars and reductive biopics alike, this comedy sings in large part because of stellar performances and clever original music.

audience

55

liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 290,308

My Rating

Movie Info

Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan team up to take the swagger out of the traditional music biopic with this look at the troubled life of fictional music legend Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly). Apatow and Kasdan both write and produce, while Freaks and Geeks and Orange County director Kasdan steps into the director's chair. Dewey Cox is a rock & roll legend whose songs have the power to shake a nation. Despite the fact that Cox's career has been something of a roller coaster ride, the fact remains that he

R, 1 hr. 36 min.

Comedy

Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan

Apr 8, 2008

$18.3M

Sony Pictures/Columbia

All Critics (139) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (107) | Rotten (36) | DVD (8)

Walk Hard runs down quickly, and suffers further from having the wide-eyed and weightless Reilly as its star.

January 4, 2008 Full Review Source: New Yorker | Comment
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Reilly is recklessly funny.

January 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | Comment
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Cox rocks.

January 4, 2008 Full Review Source: USA Today | Comment
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Call me a cynic, call me a curmudgeon, call me perverse -- I loved every moment of Dewey Cox's story.

January 4, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Walk Hard is the kind of movie that you want to love and not just like, but liking it is good enough.

December 26, 2007 Full Review Source: Toronto Star | Comment
Toronto Star
Top Critic IconTop Critic

'Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story': Sadly inert, alleged spoof of the subgenre, the crooner biopic

December 23, 2007 Full Review Source: Passionate Moviegoer | Comment
Passionate Moviegoer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Like the drunk guy who squeezes your arm and tells the same joke over and over until you laugh, goddamn you, laugh!

August 27, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion | Comment
CinePassion

gledateljima donosi sat i pol sjajne zabave

July 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Index.hr | Comment

The entire film has three repetitive jokes: Dewey cut his brother in half, Dewey can't smell, and he's going to take drugs. So it's kind of amazing how well the film works.

September 4, 2008 Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | Comment
The Scorecard Review

Throughout his entire acting career, John C. Reilly has always played second fiddle, and his choice in movies has never really allowed him to show off his comedic talents. That is, at least, until now.

May 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Watertown Daily Times | Comment
Watertown Daily Times

... it's more silly than clever, quoting Ray and Walk the Line (among other biopics) as Dewey morphs through country, R&B, rock, folk and other musical genres.

May 3, 2008 Full Review Source: MSN.com | Comment
MSN.com

... starts out brilliantly playing with the tired tropes of musical biopics before utterly losing its way.

May 1, 2008 Full Review Source: MSNBC | Comment (1)

The Blu Ray version of Walk Hard is a two-disc affair, complete with an extended version of the film that includes an extra 24-minutes of silliness.

April 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | Comment
Apollo Guide

Awfully uneven, sometimes not funny at all, but John C. Reilly is so goofily sincere and Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow include enough comedic gems to make it worthwhile.

April 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | Comment
Apollo Guide

Walk Hard brings the funny and a keen observational sense

April 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | Comment
Film Freak Central

fantastic fun

April 9, 2008 Full Review Source: sbs.is | Comment

John C. Reilly does Dewey Cox as a hilarious stoner, beer gut middle-aged teen, with a touch of Imus. Move over, Britney Spears.

April 5, 2008 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

John C. Reilly does Dewey Cox as a hilarious stoner, beer gut middle-aged teen, with a touch of Imus. Move over, Britney Spears.

April 5, 2008 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

I'm no 'Coxologist,' but this Walk the Line parody really, umm, grows on you.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Como sátira às inúmeras e formulaicas cinebiografias de músicos célebres, o filme funciona maravilhosamente bem. Pena que recaia com tanta freqüência na paródia, que peca por um exagero que embaraçaria até mesmo o trio Zucker-Abraham-Zucker.

March 26, 2008 Comment
Cinema em Cena

a perfect storm of incompetent idiocy that might kill off mockumentaries altogether.

March 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | Comment

Who knew that Judd Apatow, the master of sex comedies, also spoke jive?

March 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Washington City Paper | Comment
Washington City Paper

Walk Hard is not making a mockery of the music or the musicians. It only playfully takes the teases the filmmakers and the conventions that have developed in telling these tortured artists' stories. It's only Matinee price because it is occasionally a l

February 16, 2008 Full Review Source: Cinerina | Comment
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Couple laughs and a few chuckles. Music was pretty well done but overall just too predictable.

November 27, 2008
brooklynspo

Super Reviewer

John C. Reily never dissappoints when he's in a lead role. I loved Step Brothers and Cyrus, but now I have found a new Reilly favourite. One of the best musicals I have ever seen. Walk Hard has a clever original soundtrack, genuine belly laughs and holds the clever illusion that this actually happened.

October 25, 2011
Michael M.
Michael Miller

Super Reviewer

    1. Darlene Madison: Smell that shit, baby.
    – Submitted by Princesa B (10 days ago)
    1. Dewey Cox: [to his pet chimpanzee] I've had it with all this crap! All you care about is fruit and touching yourself. Well, fuck you!
    – Submitted by xniquet L (28 days ago)
    1. Pa Cox: The wrong kid died.
    – Submitted by xniquet L (28 days ago)
    1. Dewey Cox: YOU CAN TAKE THE CHILDREN, BUT YOU LEAVE ME MY MONKEY!
    – Submitted by xniquet L (28 days ago)
    1. Dewey Cox: [singing] In my dreams, you're blowing me... some kisses.
    – Submitted by xniquet L (28 days ago)

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