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.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 135
Fresh: 101
Rotten:34
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Consensus: 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.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language.
Runtime: 3 hrs 36 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:Dec 21, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $18,317,151
Synopsis: Somewhere between pitch-perfect parodies from Christopher Guest and Co. (such as THIS IS SPINAL TAP and A MIGHTY WIND) and slapstick spoofs (such as AIRPLANE and the NAKED GUN) resides the farcical... Somewhere between pitch-perfect parodies from Christopher Guest and Co. (such as THIS IS SPINAL TAP and A MIGHTY WIND) and slapstick spoofs (such as AIRPLANE and the NAKED GUN) resides the farcical biopic WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY. Taking the critically lauded Johnny Cash biopic WALK THE LINE as its most obvious inspiration, WALK HARD plows its way through every rock star cliché--from drug use and rampant sex to artistic self-indulgence and spiritual redemption--laying waste to all of them with unremitting blasts of brilliantly lowbrow comedy. Written by Judd Apatow and starring Jon C. Reilly in the title role, WALK HARD is a deliciously basic synthesis of any number of ponderous biographical narratives with the poetic raunchiness of Apatow films, such as SUPERBAD and KNOCKED UP, and the most lovably inane aspects of Reilly's role as Cal Naughton Jr. in TALLEDEGA NIGHTS. In fact, fans will have a blast spotting the endless array of cameos by the gifted comic actors who pepper all of those films, including Jonah Hill, Kristin Wiig, Ed Helms, and Jack McBrayer, among many others. Although Reilly (whose comedic chops are nearly on par with his skills as a dramatic player) is hilarious as the hapless rock-&-roll icon Cox, and Jenna Fischer is utterly charming and slyly multifaceted as Darlene Madison (June to Dewey's Johnny), it's the ensemble cast that makes the film so much fun. WALK HARD is the cinematic equivalent of a rock-&-roll jam session: a basic, yet entertaining and fairly interesting idea gets tossed into the creative arena and everyone gets a chance to play along, riff on the idea, and mug for the camera. Though it's certainly no masterwork, fans will relish the good times as much as the actors so clearly do. [More]
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Kristen Wiig
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Kristen Wiig
Director: Jake Kasdan
Director: Jake Kasdan
Screenwriter: Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan
Producer: Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan, Clayton Townsend
Composer: Michael Andrews
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Release:
Apr 8, 2008
Reviews for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
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.
... starts out brilliantly playing with the tired tropes of musical biopics before utterly losing its way.
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.
John C. Reilly does Dewey Cox as a hilarious stoner, beer gut middle-aged teen, with a touch of Imus. Move over, Britney Spears.
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.
a perfect storm of incompetent idiocy that might kill off mockumentaries altogether.
Who knew that Judd Apatow, the master of sex comedies, also spoke jive?
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
In many ways outrageous -- but not outrageous for long enough -- Walk Hard has tremendous appeal and entertainment value.
Another comedy winner; if you have to ask why, it’s because it involves the Knocked Up guy. Hilarious – even the Beatles bit, this looks set to be a hit.
Knocked up hurriedly, you feel, in between Apatow's other projects, Walk Hard is the feted writer-producer's first fumble. As Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel might have put it, this one only goes to two-and-a-half.
Reilly, one of our best supporting actors graduating to star status, finally bound for glory.
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