Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Release Date:
December 21, 2007
Movie of the Day for Tuesday, November 6, 2007
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On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 30/46 |
Les Winan |
Surprisingly funny, though it loses a little steam in the last 1/3. |
| 147/214 |
Max Braden |
It's on point but lacks enough tongue in cheek to be really amusing. |
After the smash success of Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby, some people noticed that John C. Reilly is kind of a funny guy. While previously he had received rapturous reviews for his performances in films like Chicago, Magnolia and Boogie Nights, Reilly's comedic talents had really only been displayed in cameo type roles. Sure, he'd worked alongside Tenacious D and Adam Sandler, but until Talladega Nights, Reilly never really had the opportunity to display his funny side in a full-length feature.
Now that he's cracked people up as Cal Naughton, Jr., the door has really opened for Reilly to embrace more genres. He'll re-team with Ferrell in the Summer 2008 film Step Brothers, but first we'll see him in the musical comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. If that title sounds vaguely familiar to you, it's supposed to. Since Cox is at least partially spoofing Johnny Cash, they've just substituted "Walk the Line" for "Walk Hard".
The team behind Walk Hard is a strong one even in addition to the Academy Award nominated Reilly. It's written and produced by Judd Apatow, who you might have noticed has had a pretty strong year in 2007 thanks to Knocked Up and Superbad. Apatow cohort Jake Kasdan directs - he previously was behind the camera for several episodes of Freaks and Geeks and the pilot of Undeclared. As with most Apatow projects, many members of his "troupe" are on hand, including Paul Rudd, Jenna Fischer, David Koechner, David Krumholtz, Harold Ramis and Kristen Wiig.
Although Reilly has yet to establish himself as a star who can carry a film on his own, Walk Hard looks to provide him the best chance to do so. He's surrounded by some strong stars in addition to being in a production backed by Apatow, which means that it has a solid chance at being funny and marketed within an inch of its life. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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