DVD REVIEW: Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story

"Box Office Smash hit!"  "Two Thumbs Way Up!"  "Prevents diarrhea!"  These phrases (I've got more!) would never be used to describe Walk Hard, but let's not be too harsh.  At one and half hours, The Dewey Cox Story is an entertaining satirical mockumentary of a musician who happens to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Cash with a thumb to his nose.  That's precisely the image I had of the movie going in, and that opinion changed a little.  For the better.

The parallels to Johnny Cash's life are blatant:  A young boy feels responsible for his brothers death and his father (effectively) disowns him.  He turns to music, his only outlet.  Married at an early age, our star has children, but due (probably) to some childhood issues, turns his back away from them and instead to his new duet partner, just to reconcile most of his relationships before the end of the movie.  Mix in some drugs, sex and a tour bus full of fart humour, and you've got yourself a set list from Saturday Night Live.

An elderly Sam (Tim Meadows) tries (insincerely) to warn Dewey of the effects of erectile dysfunction pills.

Though the performances of the lead cast are actually very good, some of the funniest moments in the movie were played by notable cameos such as Harold Ramis, Ed Helms, Jason Schwartzman, Justin Long, The Temptations, Lyle Lovett, Jewell, and Frankie Muniz, among others, I'm sure.  In one scene, later in Cox's career, he decides to travel to India for some meditation at the suggestion of his new friends, the Beatles.  The meditation comes to an end when John Lennon let's loose on Paul McCartney by asking "I wonder if your songs will still be sh*t, when I'm 64."

Paul McCartney (Jack Black) & John Lennon (Paul Rudd) squabble over band politics during a meditation session in India in one of the funniest moments in the movie.

Included on the disc as an extra feature is a short mockumentary about the mockumentary -- "The Real Dewey Cox."  You should find this featurette to be nearly as entertaining as the film itself.  With interviews from cast and crew from the movie, as well as a number of celebrities, the featurette provides hilarious faux claims about the 'history' of Dewey Cox.  Sheryl Crow provides an astonishing admission when she informs us that "The real reason I got into music was I love Cox."  Cast & crew members fill us in on the truth of "Walk Hard" candidly: "All of it was bullsh*t," says writer/director Judd Apatow. "It probably guides a lot of people, ... so does it matter that it's all crap? Probably not!"  Ed Helms humourously adds that for a worthwhile music legend, "Try Suzanne Vega... or... Johnny Cash. Make a movie about Johnny Cash!"

Not a bad idea, Ed! On a related note, the music in this movie isn't actually half bad (erm, asides from the lyrics).

Final verdict: Not a bad disc, though the humour will let you down at times.

Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story **** (out of 5)
96 min. / Rated R
Directed by Jake Kasdan
Starring John C. Reily, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer
Related links: Amazon.com, IMDb, Trailer

Review by Dave Leggett

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