Reply to Topic
Here's my review of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which I saw yesterday.
It was quite good, but not great. It was a little too long and (I know I say this a lot) didn't feel particularly focused. Expecting such an absurd comedy to have some sort of focus or theme might be a lot to ask, but I think it could have earned a better rating if it didn't always devolve into outright crudity and randomness. It was funniest when it was a simple parody, rather than an occasional springboard for whatever goofiness they could come up with. I think, with just a few minutes cut here and there, the rating easily bumps up to .
Still, I've gotta recommend it to anyone who liked what they saw in the trailers. And as someone who fancies themselves an ameatur box office analyst, I have to admit at being totally shocked at how badly its struggling. Maybe the types of people who generally like the Ferrell/Apatow offerings are also the type least likely to get all the references to Walk the Line and Ray.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
The moment the Wayans Brothers’ Scary Movie opened to $42 million in the summer of 2000, it became inevitable that Hollywood would eventually produce a self-aware parody of every genre. Since then, we’ve seen three more Scary Movies (with a fourth planned for next year), Not Another Teen Movie, and Epic Movie. Fresh out of genres to make fun of, next year’s Meet the Spartans seems to take aim at just a single film; 300.
We can thank our lucky stars that Judd Apatow got his hands on the biopic genre before the people responsible for those other efforts.
The result is Walk Hard, the story of fictional singer Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly). Though spoofing biopics in general, it uses Ray and Walk the Line as its templates, and doesn’t deviate far from either. Dewey himself is a mix of the two; he’s like Johnny Cash living out Ray Charles’ life, with a bit of crossover in each direction.
Unsure of whether it wants to be more This Is Spinal Tap or more Talladega Nights, it ends up feeling a lot more like the latter. The songs are solid, if largely unspectacular (the title track is the best of the bunch), and the film doesn’t make any attempt at realism. It alternates between witty, perceptive satire, and outright goofiness. It’s usually smart enough to persuade us to laugh, but not too proud to shock us into laughing, instead. The film usually strikes a nice balance between the two, but occasionally confuses sheer crudeness with comedy.
Walk Hard works best during the first third of the film, when it’s a straight send-up of the source material. It knows its target inside and out, and manages to squeeze a gag into every nook and cranny. It slows a bit after that, as it depicts Dewey reinventing himself ad nauseam. This genre-hopping allows the film to riff on an array of cultural icons, from Buddy Holly to Bob Dylan. Though Dewey’s Dylan phase is the cleverest of the bunch, the portrayal of The Beatles is the most fun. Paul Rudd steals the scene with a pitch-perfect caricature of John.
And, of course, there are plenty of supporting character cameos. Like some sort of old-time political machine, the Will Ferrell/Judd Apatow comedy cartels always manage to find bit roles for their friends, and reward the men who wait their turn. Seth Rogen went from a supporting role in The 40 Year Old Virgin to a leading man in Knocked Up. Reilly played second banana to Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights and now finds himself atop the marquee. The trend looks to continue as Knocked Up’s Jason Segal is set to star in Apatow Productions’ upcoming Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
If quality of performance is any indicator, Saturday Night Live alumnus Tim Meadows might be next in line. He has a few hilarious, recurring scenes as Dewey’s drummer, Sam, who inadvertently encourages Dewey to climb his way up the drug ladder by describing their wonderful effects in a misguided attempt to discourage him.
Walk Hard is an odd mix of comedic styles; shamelessly crude one minute, and staggeringly witty the next. It may have trouble finding an audience, given its schizophrenic scattershot of gags, but to those who can appreciate both ends of the comedy spectrum (and disregard any semblance of realism) it provides a steady stream of chuckles, with a few well-placed guffaws throughout.
The moment the Wayans Brothers’ Scary Movie opened to $42 million in the summer of 2000, it became inevitable that Hollywood would eventually produce a self-aware parody of every genre. Since then, we’ve seen three more Scary Movies (with a fourth planned for next year), Not Another Teen Movie, and Epic Movie. Fresh out of genres to make fun of, next year’s Meet the Spartans seems to take aim at just a single film; 300.
We can thank our lucky stars that Judd Apatow got his hands on the biopic genre before the people responsible for those other efforts.
The result is Walk Hard, the story of fictional singer Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly). Though spoofing biopics in general, it uses Ray and Walk the Line as its templates, and doesn’t deviate far from either. Dewey himself is a mix of the two; he’s like Johnny Cash living out Ray Charles’ life, with a bit of crossover in each direction.
Unsure of whether it wants to be more This Is Spinal Tap or more Talladega Nights, it ends up feeling a lot more like the latter. The songs are solid, if largely unspectacular (the title track is the best of the bunch), and the film doesn’t make any attempt at realism. It alternates between witty, perceptive satire, and outright goofiness. It’s usually smart enough to persuade us to laugh, but not too proud to shock us into laughing, instead. The film usually strikes a nice balance between the two, but occasionally confuses sheer crudeness with comedy.
Walk Hard works best during the first third of the film, when it’s a straight send-up of the source material. It knows its target inside and out, and manages to squeeze a gag into every nook and cranny. It slows a bit after that, as it depicts Dewey reinventing himself ad nauseam. This genre-hopping allows the film to riff on an array of cultural icons, from Buddy Holly to Bob Dylan. Though Dewey’s Dylan phase is the cleverest of the bunch, the portrayal of The Beatles is the most fun. Paul Rudd steals the scene with a pitch-perfect caricature of John.
And, of course, there are plenty of supporting character cameos. Like some sort of old-time political machine, the Will Ferrell/Judd Apatow comedy cartels always manage to find bit roles for their friends, and reward the men who wait their turn. Seth Rogen went from a supporting role in The 40 Year Old Virgin to a leading man in Knocked Up. Reilly played second banana to Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights and now finds himself atop the marquee. The trend looks to continue as Knocked Up’s Jason Segal is set to star in Apatow Productions’ upcoming Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
If quality of performance is any indicator, Saturday Night Live alumnus Tim Meadows might be next in line. He has a few hilarious, recurring scenes as Dewey’s drummer, Sam, who inadvertently encourages Dewey to climb his way up the drug ladder by describing their wonderful effects in a misguided attempt to discourage him.
Walk Hard is an odd mix of comedic styles; shamelessly crude one minute, and staggeringly witty the next. It may have trouble finding an audience, given its schizophrenic scattershot of gags, but to those who can appreciate both ends of the comedy spectrum (and disregard any semblance of realism) it provides a steady stream of chuckles, with a few well-placed guffaws throughout.
Still, I've gotta recommend it to anyone who liked what they saw in the trailers. And as someone who fancies themselves an ameatur box office analyst, I have to admit at being totally shocked at how badly its struggling. Maybe the types of people who generally like the Ferrell/Apatow offerings are also the type least likely to get all the references to Walk the Line and Ray.
Last edited by Yoda; 04-30-08 at 10:51 PM.
Reason: Superfluous bbCode. Then again, to add a border to the image.
