Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

"Mr. Cellophane" himself, John C. Reilly ("Chicago," and "The Good Girl") is Dewey Cox, a fictitious performer whose life story this is supposed to be. This is a send-up of all the musical bios that we have seen over the years. Dewey Cox's meteoric rise to fame and fortune against all odds, is idiotically fast. ...you will recognize situations from "Ray," "The Buddy Holly Story," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "Sweet Dreams," etc.... from the childhood accident (taken from "Ray") that haunts him into adulthood (Dewey cuts his brother in half with a machete...this is in the reviews, it is NOT a spoiler!), to his addictions, ego problems, temper tantrums (every time he gets upset he starts tearing sinks out of bathrooms like Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line"), multiple spouses, personality clashes with band mates, difficulties coping with success, etc., etc., etc.

The creative team behind this project has enjoyed numerous successes: Judd Apatow ("Talladega Nights," "Knocked Up" and "Superbad") and Jake Kasden ("Orange County" and "The TV Set"). This body of work would lead you to expect a goodly dose of raunch, and it doesn't disap- point! Lots of nudity...both sexes, lots of drug use, lots of innuendo.

The part I liked was Dewey's passage through various musical fads; from the Buddy Holly/Big Bopper era to Bob Dylan; from Haight Asbury to the Beatles. The four guys who play the Beatles aren't particularly convin- cing but it's fun, just the same... And so is the clothing for each genre. In addition, they get many, many familiar faces to play well-known per- formers, so you feel you are among friends...you will see John Michael Higgins and Jane Lynch from Christopher Guest's repertory group, Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, Frankie Muniz and Paul Rudd, who are a few of Apatow's regulars. AND they get people like Jackson Browne, The Temptations, Jewell, Eddie Vedder and Lyle Lovett to play themselves! Amazing!

By the way, Reilly does all of his own singing and he is a very competent singer.

I can't rave about this because somehow I don't find drug use or death-by-machete very funny. There ARE humorous moments and naturally I appreciate having equal time as regards nudity...it's time the rest of us got an eyeful, too!

Don't say you weren't warned....