08-06-21 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Seen: June 20th, 2008 (ish)
Format: Blu-Ray
Rating: 7

So this is a Judd Apatow screenplay. That means that I'm going to have some reaction to it.

I don't love Judd and I don't hate him. I think some of his stuff is hilarious and the rest of it generally isn't. I guess you have to give him credit for going for it, consistently, all the time. He doesn't pull any punches and anything worth doing is worth doing all the way.

In the case of Walk Hard, that's a very good thing.

Satire seems to have gone through several iterations over the last two decades. Chris Guest and crew invented the mockumentary genre and proceeded to run it into the ground over the next twenty five year, albeit with some great success. The over the top spoof, generally starring Leslie Nielsen in some capacity continues its long tradition, with a range of quality from exquisite to appalling.

Walk Hard lies somewhere outside these. Its definitely a spoof, but it shows a sensitivity and reverence that keeps it well out of Scary Movie territory. While it lampoons the nature and cliches of the music industry, it still cares. It also manages to be blunt and make statements that verge on if not dive into the sacrilegious for serious fans of certain artists.

John C. Reilly's performance is simply amazing. The way the man can just become a character is stunning. Dewey Cox isn't a single character, but dozens, somehow firmly and obliquely linked through the convoluted plot line. Reilly manages to fully realize all the manifestations of Dewey, yet still convinces us that he's always the same guy. His ability to say the most absurd things with not just a straight face, but a sincere one, is incredible.

I will always remember and love his take on Dylan. The film's worth seeing for that 30 seconds alone.

Jenna Fischer is excellent as well. Her characterization is spot on. Her sincerity, as twisted as it is, matches Reilly's line for line. The character isn't written as well, but she makes the most of it.

The gags here generally work. A few are trite and some others just get old, even if they do pay off. But for the most part, this is one clever, funny film. There's more than one gem here, and it never quite falls victim to its own cleverness. There's fine comedic sensibility here, at all levels.

If you're a music aficionado, see this one. You may be a bit, or even more than a bit offended at times, but you'll probably find it worthwhile.

The Good: Straight faces all around
The Bad: Trippy Machete
The Ugly: Fighting in India