ConMan Projects

Walk Hard (2007)

Director: Jake Kasdan
Director of Photography: Uta Briesewitz
Written by: Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan
Actors: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Kristen Wiig, Matt Beeser, Chris Parnell, Raymond J. Berry
Original Release Date: December 21, 2007

Synopsis: The (not-so) true story of faux-music legend Dewey Cox as he discovers love, drugs, celebrity cameos and loads of illegitimate children through his life-long journey in pursuit of his musical dreams.

Initial Thoughts
Some food for thought from the legendary Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam): “If Elvis and Buddy Holly are the Cain and Abel of rock and roll, Bruce Springsteen is Zachariah, Iggy Pop is Methuselah, and, of course, Neil Young is the wise prophet Ezekiel, then what does that make Dewey Cox?”

Personally I feel that Dewey would have been the Moses, but that’s just me.  From producer Judd Apatow (producer of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights, The 40 Year Old Virgin. . . you get the point) and director Jake Kasdan (The TV Set, which by the way is a fantastic flick if you’re even halfway interested in how studios deal with artists) comes the biopic-spoof, Walk Hard. A film that is so incredibly silly, yet at the same time takes itself seriously it is unreal, Walk Hard is the tale of fictional music legend Dewey Cox and his journey through the different eras of music (1950s through present day).

What’s Good
So why should you consider checking this flick out?  For starters, the movie is pretty damn hilarious.  It got dead-panned when it came out in theaters (they released it in December and tried an Oscar campaign just to piss people off), but it’s maintained a fairly strong life on DVD because of it’s many pop culture references and low-brow humor.  Fans of Apatow’s previous comedies or slapstick comedies like Airplane or Caddyshack will get a real kick out of Walk Hard’s absurdity and over-the-top gags.  It’s all over the place and at parts the jokes are pretty darn dumb, but that’s the point.  There are a few places that the jokes fall flat, but the majority of the comedy is pretty solid.

The acting is fan-friggin’-tastic.  I’m more of a drama guy than an comedy guy, but even I will admit that comedic acting sometimes takes much more skill and intelligence than dramatic acting (I know, I know. . . they’re different styles and that may not be a fair comparison.).  John C. Reilly is one of the most talented actors working today, and this movie is a great example of his incredible range.  The celebrity cameos as famous music legends (from Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Star to Jack White as Elvis) are incredibly effective and the supporting cast (especially Jenna Fischer) is quite wonderful.

What’s really great about this movie is that Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan dive into Walk Hard in an attempt to make fun of the barrage of music biopics that have come out recently (Ray and Walk the Line are the primary ones satrized here), but at the same time they’ve made a movie that by all technical means looks and sounds great.  The cinematography is rich and diverse, and the original music made for this movie is actually pretty damn enjoyable.  If I found the soundtrack on sale somewhere, I would definitely pick it up.

As with almost all of Judd Apatow’s DVD/Blu-ray packages, it is fully loaded with tons of special features.  If you’re a DVD-file who really gets into extra content, this is a great addition to your collection.

What’s Not So Good
I have very few complaints about Walk Hard. The movie kind of drags towards the middle (70s Dewey), but if you’re in this movie for the humorous aspects then you can kinda look past this.  I felt like it ended strong, so you can get over the weak end 2nd act/beginning of the 3rd act.  On the DVD/Blu-ray, there is an extended cut of the film that provides an additional 30 minutes of footage that makes up for this, but if you aren’t already into the movie during the first cut chances are you should avoid this extended cut.

There is one thing that really turns me off in this movie.  It’s something that has been implemented a lot recently in hard-R comedies and while many people find it hilarious, I just really don’t care for it.  The penis gag.  If you’ve seen any of the R-rated comedies over the past two years, you know what I’m talking about.  I get it, I really do.  I understand why people would think it’s funny, but I personally find it to be just obnoxious.    I have no problem with full frontal nudity, but there are classy ways to do and then there is the way comedies have been doing it lately (Borat, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Observe and Report).  Then again, any penis other than my own just skeeves me out.  If that’s your kinda thing, fine.  Me, I’ll pass.

The biggest disclaimer I could give anyone who is remotely interested in seeing this film is that this film is not for anyone.  The type of humor portrayed in this film is pretty smart (considering what how they satrize all these different eras of music and musicians), but at the same time it is really REALLY STUPID and FOUL humor.  I’m a big fan of mixing low-brow humor with satirical pop-culture outtakes (hence my adoration for Family Guy) so this is just my cup of tea, but honestly if you don’t like stupid humor (and really, I emphasize the STUPID here) or are easily offended by nudity, profanity, drug use, or anything else that would make a film earn a hard R-rating. . . then you are going to probably hate this movie.  Just giving you fair warning.

One of Con’s Favorite Scenes
[after Dewey accidentally barges in a room filled with smoke and groupies]
Sam: [coughs] Get outta here, Dewey!
Dewey Cox: What are y’all doin’ in here?
Sam: We’re smoking reefer and you don’t want no part of this shit.
Dewey Cox: You’re smoking *reefers*?
Sam: Yeah, ‘course we are; can’t you smell it?
Dewey Cox: No, Sam. I can’t.
Reefer Girl: Come on, Dewey! Join the party!
[takes a hit off a joint]
Sam: No, Dewey, you don’t want this. Get outta here!
Dewey Cox: You know what, I don’t want no hangover. I can’t get no hangover.
Sam: It doesn’t give you a hangover!
Dewey Cox: Wha-I get addicted to it or something?
Sam: It’s not habit-forming!
Dewey Cox: Oh, okay… well, I don’t know… I don’t want to overdose on it.
Sam: You can’t OD on it!
Dewey Cox: It’s not gonna make me wanna have sex, is it?
Sam: It makes sex even better!
Dewey Cox: Sounds kind of expensive.
Sam: It’s the cheapest drug there is.
Dewey Cox: [at a loss and out of excuses] Hmm.
Sam: You don’t want it!
Dewey Cox: [Thinks about it for a moment] I think I kinda want it.
Sam: Okay, but just this once. Come on in.

The Bottom Line
This movie is not for everyone.  You probably need to be a fan of the actors, Judd Apatow movies, a music/pop culture fan or someone who likes to mix their satire with sheer stupidity.  I really dig this movie, which surprised me as I went into this movie with the mindset that I was going to hate this film (I based that assumption on my feelings towards Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby).  As Dewey Cox would say, even with all it’s stupidity and flaws…”It’s a Beautiful Ride.”

Con’s Rating: 8.5/10