Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Jan 18 2008 Evening Chronicle

DRUG addiction, physical disability, poverty and infidelity are the lifeblood of any compelling music biopic, from Sissy Spacek’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter to Jamie Foxx and Joaquin Phoenix’s exuberant turns as Ray Charles and Johnny Cash.

The harder the fall from grace, the sweeter the dogged ascent to chart-topping glory.

Director Jake Kasdan and co-writer Judd Apatow poke fun at these inspirational tales of rock ’n’ roll excess in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which charts the rise and fall of a fictional singer-songwriter (Reilly, pictured right) against a backdrop of nearly 50 years of American history.

They pluck some inspired moments like Dewey’s encounter with The Beatles (brought vividly to life by Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long and Jason Schwartzman), during which the eponymous hero remarks: “You boys are almost as good as The Monkees!”

A brief appearance of The Temptations, as a punchline to a verbal gag, is very cute.

However, too many of the running jokes are lame through excessive use, whether it be Dewey naively hoovering up every drug which crosses his path, or his embittered father’s catchphrase.

The film begins in Springberry, Alabama in 1946, with the young Dewey (Rayburn) and his brother Nate (Hormess) playing one blissful summer’s day.

“You know how mad pa gets when we play with his machete!” scolds Dewey as Nate suggests a sword fight in the barn.

Freak tragedy strikes and Dewey’s parents, Pa (Barry) and Ma Cox (Martindale), endure the agony of “a particularly bad case of somebody being cut in half”.

Dewey is rescued from the pits of hell by his love of the blues and his trusty guitar, and the youngster plots his escape from Springberry with girlfriend Edith (Wiig) by his side.

Walk Hard hits too many bum notes to reach the giddy heights of Apatow’s previous films, Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin.

(15, 96 mins) Comedy/Musical. John C Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig, Raymond J Barry, Margo Martindale, Conner Rayburn, Chip Hormess. Director: Jake Kasdan.

SWEARING; SEX; VIOLENCE