• the217
• Movies + TV
• Cox fuses hilarity and heart in biopic spoof

Related Media

This undated photo provided by Sony Pictures shows, from left to right, Tim Meadows, John C. Reilly, Matt Besser and Chris Parnell from the movie "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story." (Gemma La Mana, Sony Pictures)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Rated R
3 Stars Out of 4

Dewey Cox rose from a humble background and overcame adversity to become a music legend and cultural icon. And he’s completely bogus. Parodying the oft-lauded genre chronicling the rise and fall of singer/songwriters, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story amalgamates anecdotes and personalities into one uber-character. And nobody pulls it off quite like John C. Reilly.

Vaulting into the spotlight after a decade of “oh, that guy” type roles, Reilly proves leading men don’t need chiseled physiques or rugged charisma to carry a film on their shoulders. Comedy is tricky business, but Reilly treads the choppy genre like a champion adding conviction and plausibility to the ridiculous dialogue.

Whereas spoofs like Airplane! and Top Secret knowingly embrace their hysterics, Walk Hard>/i> keeps it straight-faced. And it’s a good thing too; the cinematography and production design are Oscar-worthy – no small feat for another comedy. Even the handling of Cox is genuine. From the dullard who slices his brother in half with a machete to the throes of drug addiction and bigamy to finally succumbing to decency with the help of his long-time love (Jenna Fischer).

Lampooning musical biopics like Ray, Walk the Line, and The Doors, Walk Hard sells its authenticity. What could have been an easy spoof elevates the legitimacy behind the absurd plot and characters. When Reilly and Fischer croon preposterous ballads like “Let’s Duet,” you can buy into the BS because of the heartfelt performances and catchy lyrics.

Then there are the nods to quintessential troubadours like Dylan, Cash, Holly, and the Stones. From their musical warbling to the documentaries they starred in, Walk Hard incorporates it all and then some. Meetings with Jerry Garcia, the Beatles, and Elvis are only part of Cox’s musical milieu. It adds credibility to the goofball character’s career. Somehow, strange as it is, Dewey Cox seems more real than other predictable biopics.

Under the reign of comedy overlord Judd Apatow, Walk Hard succeeds in giving heart and soul to the lewd, rude and nude humor. Like other comedies produced, written or directed by Apatow, it’s not just the low-brow, Cro-Magnon jokes, but the well-versed pop-culture references and sophisticated jabs that make his comedies totally memorable.

Dewey Cox will get you hard. Hard for good comedy. Hard for something original. And it all works. Apatow has the potential to continue his hit-making parade and the added bonus of turning Reilly into a certified star. But if nothing else, one thing’s certain. America will love Cox.