Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9539 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-05-12
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Pixar-like roll of Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad) continues with another sure-fire hit. In charting the meteoric rise, catastrophic fall and Lazarus-like comeback of rocker Dewey Cox, Walk Hard parodies the classic Hollywood bio-pic, cashing in mostly on Walk the Line. John C. Reilly, one of Hollywood's most solid character actors, makes the most of his Golden Globe-nominated star turn as Dewey, whose road to stardom is paved with a childhood tragedy that claims the life of his prodigiously talented brother ("The wrong kid died," is his father's mantra), instant stardom (his first record is a hit just 35 minutes after it was recorded), sex and drugs, and the inevitable "dark (effen) period" that leads him to rehab.

Reilly gets solid back-up from current and former Saturday Night Live alumni, including Kirsten Wiig as his incredibly fertile first wife who has no faith in his musical aspirations ("You're never going to make it," she cheerily ends one phone call); Tim Meadows (never better) as Dewey's drummer, who, in one of the film's best scenes, does a poor job of dissuading him from trying marijuana); and Chris Parnell as his bass player. Jenna Fischer leaves Pam back at The Office as Darlene, Dewey's virtuous duet partner. Hilarious cameos give Walk Hard a great "Hey!" factor: Hey, that's Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly. Hey, that's "Kenneth" from 30 Rock. Hey, there's Jack Black and Paul Rudd as--no kidding--Paul McCartney and John Lennon revealing "a rift in the Beatles." Some of the jokes are obvious (come on; the guy's last name is Cox), others inspired. But the decades-spanning music, echoing the styles of gritty Johnny Cash, romantic Roy Orbison, obtuse Bob Dylan, trippy Brian Wilson, and even a bit of anachronistic punk rock, is as pitch perfect and affectionately observed as in The Rutles, This Is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind. Walk Hard earns its R-rating, particularly for a sure-to-be-talked-about scene of hotel-room debauchery. But: Hilarious? Outrageous? Twisted? To quote the title of one of Dewey's hit songs, "Guilty as Charged." --Donald Liebenson

Product description

Beyond Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

On Blu-ray

The Soundtrack

UMD for PSP

Stills from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (click for larger image)

Synopsis
Talladega Nights star John C. Reilly and producer Judd Apatow reunite for this film that takes comedic aim at films such as Walk the Line. Reilly stars as titular musician Dewey Cox, with Jenna Fischer (The Office) and SNL's Kristen Wiig co-starring as two of the women in the life of the troubled singer.

Customer Reviews

Amazing film, Horrible DVD
This is one of the best films i have seen in a long time, it is a very funny and detailed parody of rock and roll genre. The film was great, i knew i wanted it on DVD, however on watching it through for the first time i found myself completely disappointed with the DVD. In the transition from cinema to DVD huge amounts of scenes and jokes have been cut or completely removed. As someone who had seen this film before, i felt like i only got 75% of it on DVD. I can only imagine this film was butchered in some quest for a low rating. My advice is don't buy this, wait for a full version.

Understandably has few reviews
Walk hard is likely the least successful entry in the Judd Apatow-involved canon which so dominates the comedy world today, and justifiably so. While it features strong performances from John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer, it relies FAR too heavily on parody and cliche to elevate itself above 'spoof'. There's a lot of repetition, some of which is unbearably funny, and some of which is just grating. Plenty of self-aware, early Myers-esque namechecking too, which after a while becomes so smug its infuriating. And the songs suck. For a film based around a musician, this is a major failing. It should also be pointed out that despite the film's 2-hour runtime, it feels like it goes on forever. Shortcomings aside, there are some great moments too, and a few egotistical tantrums as we've come to expect from these films. Fans of comedy should give it ago, but I doubt if it's something you'll watch over and over.

Nice surprise!
Walk Hard: The Dewy Cox Story is one of the most consistently funny films I've seen in ages! Supposedly it's "Better than Knocked Up and Superbad!" ...Well, it's a completely different kind of comedy. Knocked Up and Superbad stayed safely within the 'comedy boundaries', whereas Walk Hard walks right over them!

Honestly, I don't know why Walk Hard hasn't received as much acclaim and success as any of its predecessors. Basically, it's a big, dumb, but still tasteful spoof of 2004's Walk The Line (A biographical account of the ups and downs of the life of Johnny Cash.) I know this sounds like dangerous territory after some more recent 'spoofs', but Walk Hard is so mad, so hilarious and so full of life and enthusiasm that it's hard not to love! I've watched it a few times now, and on each viewing it leaves me feeling happy for ages afterwards. Some seriously funny appearances from Jack Black and others completed the film for me -The Beatles are so fantastically ripped in one scene that you'll be rolling around on the floor in hysterics!

Great price. Great film. Watch it with a few friends, a few bears, and a big smile.