Walk Hard... Out of the Theater

Grade: C


A childhood tragedy creates a living legend. The living legend comes down on hard times while flying high on the wave of success. The legend finds a way to come back after the hard times to solidify his place in history.

Yes. I just explained every biopic ever made, and to be made in roughly 40 words. Judd Apatow takes the recent trend of bringing the life stories of famous, classic artists like Johnny Cash, and Ray Charles and throws in his style of exaggerations along with some tasteless humor bringing you "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."

Starring John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox a dimwitted young man growing up in the south, Cox and his intellectual older brother who, at the age of 10 is a classic pianist. But Dewey accidentally cuts his life short in one of the few genuine laughs to be had throughout the picture. The loss of their son brings the Cox family to it's knees with Pa Cox so grief stricken that he can only say "The wrong kid died" to his last son.

Having promised his brother to become "double good" for accidentally taking his talented sibling out of the world before his time, Dewey, at the humorously overstated age of 14 (with Reilly taking over the roll starting at this point in the film.) Dewey takes his first crack at stardom at his school's talent show, but his music causes a riot and leaving the young 14 year old Dewey to move out on his own, and bring his 12 year old girlfriend with him.

After making it big with his smash hit "Walk Hard" Dewey is finally able to live the dream life every 14 year old dreams of; with a house of his own, a wife and three kids, and of course a monkey. But with every high there is a low. Dewey quickly falls amusingly into a pit of drug dependency, then gets better, then falls again. All through hilarious exchanges with drummer Sam (Tim Meadows.)

"Walk Hard" is not as much a riot as it is a bunch of inappropriate jokes on a storyline that has produced several memorable movies over the last few years.

"Walk Hard" takes the same style of humor as other parody movies like "Date Movie" and "Epic Movie," but takes the jokes to that "not for younger kids" plateau.