Thanks for checking out our Walk Hard Review. Make sure to check out the video review at the bottom of the post!
The General idea
Dewey Cox kills his brother and sets out on a life-quest to become a legendary musician. Sex, drugs, the inability to smell and rock & roll throw many challenges at Dewey and we follow him through his life’s journey. Haunted by the memory of slicing his own brother in half Dewey tries to drown his sorrows with various drugs and work out his problems through song. We follow him on the rock and roll thrill ride that is his life, and enjoy the hilarity that results from his poor life decisions.
The Good
This film has a lot of laughs. The story is stitched together like Walk The Line – and it is a parody of the film, but takes generous liberties when adding in segments that are unique to The Dewey Cox story. It is like they used scenes from Walk The Line as a set piece and then fleshed it out with the improv insanity required to make them laugh hard in that situation. This movie gets ridiculous; and I ate it up.
This film’s use of comedic repetition was outstanding; this comedic style is a favorite of mine and I reveled in it. I do not want to give away any spoilers but Tim Meadows has one line that he says over and over – and it killed me every time. Dewey also has a knack for destroying things when times get tough; and this also get funnier every time you see it. Oh! This film also has the funniest use of full frontal male nudity EVER!
I must take a moment to salute the performance of Tim Meadows. He does not have a ton of lines in this film, but his comedic timing is flawless. This guy has always made me laugh so much and I was very, very glad to see him in this film. He is underused and under-appreciated. For the love of all that is good – give Meadows more fucking work.
The Bad
I really did not like the opening scenes of this film. The child actors were not funny and the first few minutes were painful for me to watch. In the film we have flashback scenes, and I hated seeing this first part of the movie brought back time and time again. The good news is, this segment lasted maybe 5 minutes and then we launch headlong into the teenage life of Cox. So not much to hate, but I did find some.
Overall
This is a parody film that did not seem like a parody film – and that is good. It always seemed like we were following the life of Dewey Cox, even though at times his life resembled that of Johnny Cash. The songs were all very well done and some of the funniest lines in the film were lyrics performed on stage. This is a fun comedy that does not take itself seriously at all, the jokes are often blatant, low brow and god damn hilarious. Some jokes fell flat, but for the most part they hit often and well; with a good mix of physical humor thrown into the pot. If you are looking to see a movie that will get you laughing, Walk Hard is the one to do it this holiday season.
I was going to give this film a 7 out of 10, then I remembered the use of a giraffe – I will give it an 8. If you watch; you will understand.
YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO REVIEW HERE