Review #588 of 365
Movie Review of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) [R] 96 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $14.25
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When Seen: 21 December 2007
Time: 5:50 pm
DVD Release Date: 25 March 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Soundtrack: Download now from - or - order the CD below
Directed by: Jake Kasdan (The TV Set)
Written by: Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) • Jake Kasdan (The TV Set)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
John C. Reilly (Year of the Dog) • Jenna Fischer (The Brothers Solomon) • Raymond J. Barry (Little Children) • Margo Martindale (Feast of Love) • Kristen Wiig (The Brothers Solomon) • Chip Hormess (Transformers) • Conner Rayburn ("According to Jim") • Tim Meadows (The Benchwarmers) • Chris Parnell (Hot Rod) • Matt Besser (The TV Set) • David Krumholtz (Superbad) • Harold Ramis (Knocked Up) • Phil Rosenthal (Spanglish) • Martin Starr (Superbad)
As Themselves:
Eddie Vedder • Otis Williams • Ron Tyson • Terry Weeks • Joe Herndon • Bruce Williamson • Jackson Browne • Jewel Kilcher • Ghostface Killah • Lyle Lovett
Notable Cameos:
John Michael Higgins as the Record Producer • Justin Long as George Harrison • Paul Rudd as John Lennon • Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr • Jack Black as Paul McCartney • John Ennis as The Big Bopper • Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly • Jack White as Elvis • Jonah Hill as the adult Ghost of Nate
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Click to see photos from the Premiere of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Click to read the spoiler points for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Dewford Randall Cox (Conner Rayburn) was born in Springberry, Alabama to Ma (Margo Martindale) and Pa (Raymond J. Barry). Not the crown prince of the family, Dewey was constantly in the shadow of his perfect piano-playing older brother Nate (Chip Hormess) whom he eventually kills, accidentally, one day in the family barn. Nate invites him to play sword-fight with machetes, and things end with Nate bisected into two pieces leaving Pa to adopt as his life-long mantra, "The wrong son died." At age 15, and now played by John C. Reilly, his talents for music explode upon the Springberry High School Talent Show stage propelling him to be expelled from the town for blasphemous music unbefitting a good Christian.
…there's a brilliance to the Dewey Cox story, however well masked it may be in the often raunchy, occasionally irreverent, probably wickedly genius humor of the mind of Judd Apatow, that should not be ignored.
If you are going to insult anyone, insult everyone. Isn't that what Thumper's Daddy said in Bambi? Well, Kasdan and Apatow do that and more. No matter how politically correct you may try to be as a person, and there are a lot of people who consider trying to be a bad thing in the first place, but no matter how hard you try, you're going to find it very hard, eventually, not to bust up laughing during this film. In fact, you might find yourself laughing harder than you've ever laughed in a movie since Talladega Nights. This time around, though, there's no Will Ferrell. John C. Reilly proves more than well enough that he's not just Ferrell's sidekick anymore. With a strong musical theatre background, believe it or not, he really sings and swings as Dewey Cox. His incredible versatility carries the picture as Dewey ages and evolves through the decades to earn his eventual lifetime achievement award forcing him out of retirement for one last rousing climax of song. The rest of the cast, which has arguably the best cameos and guest appearances of the decade with only Al Gore noticeably absent, is absolutely first rate. It's one thing to act in a parody and another to get serious enough to realize the power of the parody but no so serious as to blow the parody—you know what I mean? Hey, I'm trying to write this with ghost hands, ok, and it's hard enough without you being skeptical and all that. Jenna Fisher is darling as Darlene Madison—the obvious nod to June Carter Cash. Tim Meadows, Chris Parnell, and Matt Besser seem to have great fun as Dewey's Hard Walkers. Meadows stands out as he carries the oxymoronic role as Dewey's drug soul mate convincing him to try ever-increasingly intoxicating and addictive drugs by suggesting "he won't want to get involved with this" stuff. Ironically, he only declines once, and that's for Viagra®. Meanwhile, give the musicians credit for the great musical numbers with out of control lyrics and catchy melodies that parody great songs in and of themselves. Great costumes and make-up age the performers through the various eras with one particularly hysterical Disco platform shoe performance that still has me chuckling thinking about it. In the end, of course, it's hard to know for certain, but previous work would seem to show that Apatow and Kasdan knew what they were doing when they wrote this screenplay. It didn't happen by accident in some brainstorming session with concept maps up on white boards as they sought to figure out how to follow their previous, legendary comedic treasures.
… try writing an entire review with ghost hands. Then maybe you'll understand.
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Cast Members
John C. Reilly • Jenna Fischer • Raymond J. Barry
Margo Martindale • Kristen Wiig • Chip Hormess
Conner Rayburn • Tim Meadows • Chris Parnell
Matt Besser • Martin Starr • Harold Ramis
Director
Jake Kasdan
Writers
Judd Apatow • Jake Kasdan
CD Soundtrack | DVD | VHS |
1 comment:
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2007 film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Production
It was almost like a Manhattan Project for songwriters,” says Bern. “It was the most fun thing I’ve ever done.
Dan Bern, 2007
The cast and crew recorded 40 original songs;[2] 33 are featured in the movie.[3] Singer-songwriter Dan Bern and Mike Viola (of the Candy Butchers) wrote most of the film’s songs, including “There’s a Change a Happenin’”, “Mulatto” and “Hole in My Pants”. Marshall Crenshaw wrote the title tune and Van Dyke Parks penned one of the 1960-styled psychedelic jams, “Black Sheep”.
Track listing
iTunes exclusive extended edition
1. “Take My Hand”
2. “Jump Little Children”
3. “(Mama) You Got to Love Your Negro Man”
4. “That’s Amore”
5. “Walk Hard”
6. “A Life Without You (Is No Life At All)”
7. “(I Hate You) Big Daddy”
8. “Walk Hard (Punk Version)”
9. “Let’s Duet”
10. “Darling”
11. “Guilty As Charged”
12. “There’s a Change A’ Happening (I Can Feel It)”
13. “Dear Mr. President”
14. “Hey Mr. Old Guy”
15. “Ladies First”
16. “The Mulatto Song”
17. “Let Me Hold You (Little Man)”
18. “Hole In My Pants”
19. “Royal Jelly”
20. “Farmer Glickstein”
21. “Black Sheep”
22. “Walk Hard (70’s TV Show Theme)”
23. “Who Wants to Party”
24. “Weeping On the Inside”
25. “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero”
26. “Walk Hard (All-Star Version)”
27. “Beautiful Ride”
28. “(Have You Heard the News) Dewey Cox Died”
29. “Cut My Brother In Half Blues”
30. “(You Make Me So) Hard”
http://rapidshare.com/files/134813355/Walk_Hard-_The_Dewey_Cox_Story__Extended_Edition___2007_.rar
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