Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jennan Fischer, Raymond J. Barry
Director: Jake Kasdan
The film: Writer-producer-actor Judd Apatow has been a busy boy. But the danger was always that he'd spread himself a little thin. His Superbad and Knocked Up were major successes over the past 12 months, with critics and the public alike, but Walk Hard vanished without a trace from cinemas in the US, despite Apatow's reputation and some hard-sell promotion.
Some blamed the lukewarm reviews, while others pointed to the fact the film stars the plasticine-faced John C. Reilly, who'd never carried a film before. The reality is that the film is basically an extended skit that would have made for a fun 30 minutes but feels drawn out over 90 minutes. You're given a few classic set pieces, and repetitions in between.
Reilly plays (even as a 14-year-old, beer gut and all) Dewey Cox, a music world legend whose life bears striking similarities to those of the subjects of recent biopics Ray and Walk the Line. There's a death that scars his childhood, dabbling with drugs, and disputes with those he holds near and dear as Cox searches for direction in his life and his art.
