Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story – Review

This “spoof” comedy has some really smart and hilarious humor, despite it clearly mocking many of the successful biopics of the early 2000s, such as Walk the Line and Ray. It tells the tale of music sensation Dewey Cox (Reilly) and his rise to stardom, and subsequent dealings with fame, creative lulls, drugs, and new women in his life. Covering 60 years of the star’s life, all of the moments and themes are turned up to 11 with satire and spoofing, while remaining a coherent tale of life and experience.

Cleverly mocking many serious movies is a fun task for this cast, which is stacked full of veteran comic actors, and led by Reilly’s wacky antics. This movie is a quality production which remains just as funny today, however it did go greatly overlooked upon its initial release.

The music itself may seem too “old school” for modern audiences, but the setting and varying time periods are part of the production’s charm, especially if one does know the type or tunes that the film is riffing off of. Regardless of how one feels about the jokey tunes themselves, the rest of the film is stuffed with ridiculous humor and hijinks.

The lines are funny and lasting, and you may find yourself repeating themselves when you are back in real life amongst your peers. Additionally, there are a million surprising cameos from many-an-actor (everyone from Morgan Fairchild to Ghostface Killah). Plus, there is a much-extended director’s cut which brings out even more of the story, however does stretch the runtime significantly.