Opening

75% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
22% The Hangover Part III May 23
67% Epic May 24
98% Before Midnight May 24
80% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
87% Fill the Void May 24
20% A Green Story
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

87% Star Trek Into Darkness $70.2M
78% Iron Man 3 $35.8M
50% The Great Gatsby $23.9M
46% Pain & Gain $3.2M
69% The Croods $3.0M
77% 42 $2.8M
55% Oblivion $2.3M
99% Mud $2.2M
36% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.2M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
89% The East May 31

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

tomatometer

74

Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 139
Fresh: 103 | 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.

71

Average Rating: 6/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 10

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,

Comedy

Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan

Apr 8, 2008

$18.3M

Sony Pictures/Columbia - Official Site External Icon

Watch It Now

ADVERTISEMENT

All Critics (140) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (108) | Rotten (36) | DVD (9)

The one area where 'Walk Hard' does manage to hold its own against classics of the genre such as 'This is Spinal Tap' or 'Sweet and Lowdown' is the music, all of which is expertly written and performed.

January 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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 | Comments (2)
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Reilly is recklessly funny.

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

Cox rocks.

January 4, 2008 Full Review Source: USA Today
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
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
Toronto Star
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
CinePassion

gledateljima donosi sat i pol sjajne zabave

July 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Index.hr | Comments (2)

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
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
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
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
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
Apollo Guide

Walk Hard brings the funny and a keen observational sense

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

fantastic fun

April 9, 2008 Full Review Source: sbs.is

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
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
NewsBlaze

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

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
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
Cinema em Cena

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

March 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife

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

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

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

Eddie Vedder: If Elvis and Buddy Holly are the Cain and Abel of rock and roll, Bruce Springsteen is Zachariah, Iggy Pop is Methuselah, and, of course, Neil Young is the wise prophet Ezekiel, then what does that make Dewey Cox? 

"Life made him tough. Love made him strong. Music made him hard."

I absolutely love Walk Hard, and I always have. I saw this on opening night and since then I've probably watched it at least 20 times. It's one of those movies my friends and I used to always watch when we got stoned and/or drunk. I still think it is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It's a perfect spoof of the musician biography film. We see references to Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Elvis, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly and countless more. This is a music lovers film.

We see the rise and fall and rise and fall of Dewey Cox from when he is a young boy and cut his brother in half to his final live appearance ever. In between he enjoys everything a rock star does. He gets into drugs and goes to rehab not once, but twice. He fucks every girl he can. He gets married and divorced twice. He has over thirty children. His life is a mess as he falls from stardom, but don't worry. Every fallen hero gets his chance at redemption and Dewey Cox is no different. 

The humor on this one is mostly lowbrow stuff, but there is some smart comedy in it if you get the jokes. Judd Apatow writes an amazing script here using movies like Walk the Line and Ray as inspiration for mimicry. The use of stars throughout the film is hilarious. They present them in the exact way people perceive them to be. Ringo is always wanting to do LSD. Elvis is eccentric and full of himself. Buddy Holly is a real nice guy. This has its music history down pat. I especially loved the small glimpse of The Big Bopper doing a set. 

From start to finish, this is a comedy I adore. The fact that I still laugh at 90% of this films jokes after numerous viewings goes to show just how funny the film is. I must say John C. Reilly is perfect in this role. I couldn't think of anyone who could have done it better or funnier. He's absolutely perfect.
February 1, 2011
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

    1. Darlene Madison: Ok. Let's go drop acid with the Beatles.
    – Submitted by Jillian L (3 months ago)
    1. George Harrison: I just sit here while my guitar quietly whimpers.
    2. Paul McCartney: Well you are the quiet one so why don't you shut the fuck up!
    3. Ringo Starr: I've got a song about an octopus.
    4. John Lennon: Jam it up your ass. You're lucky we still let you play the drums!
    – Submitted by Jillian L (3 months ago)
    1. Dewey Cox: Edith, I am starting to think... that maybe you don't believe in me.
    2. Edith: I do believe in you. I just know you're gonna fail.
    – Submitted by Jillian L (3 months ago)
    1. Paul McCartney: We're nothing but... grains of sand.
    2. Dewey Cox: That was freakin' transcendental, Paul McCartney. Don't you agree, John Lennon?
    3. John Lennon: Yes, Dewey Cox. With meditation there's no limit to what we can... [glares at the camera] *imagine*.
    – Submitted by Jillian L (3 months ago)
    1. Paul McCartney: [To John Lennon] I'm sick of you being so dark when I'm so impish and whimsical! I'm sick of it!
    – Submitted by Jillian L (3 months ago)
    1. Edith: What about my dreams?
    2. Dewey Cox: Edith I told you I can't build your candy house! It will fall apart, the sun will melt the candy, it won't work!
    – Submitted by Jillian L (3 months ago)

Discussion Forum

There are no discussion threads for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story yet.

Latest News on Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

April 7, 2008:
RT on DVD: There Will Be Blood Drinks Lions for Lambs, Dewey Cox's Milkshakes
P. T. Anderson's Oscar-winning oil opus There Will Be Blood hits shelves this week, so if you missed...

December 23, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: National Treasure Uncovers Holiday Gold at #1 Spot
Cage posted one of the best openings of his career with National Treasure: Book of Secrets which...

December 20, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Sweeney Todd, Walk Hard, and Charlie Wilson All Certified Fresh!
This week at the movies, we've got unruly history buffs, fake rockers, rogue senators, bon mots from...

Help | About | Jobs | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile