Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster, satirising the famous Jim Morrison pose |
|
| Directed by | Jake Kasdan |
| Produced by | Judd Apatow Jake Kasdan |
| Written by | Judd Apatow Jake Kasdan |
| Starring | John C. Reilly Jenna Fischer |
| Music by | Michael Andrews |
| Cinematography | Uta Briesewitz |
| Editing by | Tara Timpone |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 21, 2007 |
| Running time | 96 min / 120 min (extended DVD cut) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a Golden Globe-nominated comedy film starring John C. Reilly in the title role and directed by Jake Kasdan. Judd Apatow, director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, co-wrote and produced the film.
Dewey Cox personifies a number of prolific figures in rock history throughout the course of the movie—including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Donovan—but mainly Johnny Cash. The plot is a close parallel of 2005's Walk the Line; Walk Hard is also a parody of the biopic genre as a whole. (Characters explicitly state their ages, refer to each other by full—"Hullo, John Lennon; I'm Ringo Starr"—names.) The MPAA gave the film an R rating for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language[1].
The film was released in the United States and Canada on December 21, 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Fictional musician Dewey Cox begins his quest for greatness from humble beginnings in Springberry, Alabama. While playing with his brother Nate in a sequence of needlessly careless and dangerous acts, he accidentally cuts his brother in half at the waist with a machete (a reference to Johnny Cash's older brother Jack, who was almost cut in half by a table saw and died from his injuries). This leads Dewey's father to frequently repeat the phrase "The wrong kid died." It is this traumatic event that motivates Dewey to rise to stardom and "be double great for the both of them." (This is also a reference to Elvis Presley, whose twin brother was stillborn). This also causes him to lose his sense of smell (probably a reference to Ray Charles' blindness). After his brother's death is announced by a physician making a housecall, his mother sends him to the local store to buy a candle. There, he meets a black blues guitarist, who lets Dewey play his guitar. Dewey is a natural. The scene was likely a reference to country icon Hank Williams, who was introduced to the guitar by a black blues guitarist Rufus Payne.
After a successful, yet controversial, talent show performance that is reminiscent of an early, sugary Buddy Holly rock song, a then fourteen-year-old Dewey decides to leave Springberry with his twelve-year-old girlfriend Edith (Kristen Wiig). They soon marry (a reference to Jerry Lee Lewis' marriage to 13-year old Myra Gale Brown) and Edith begins to criticize Dewey and insist that his dream of being a musician will never happen. Inspired, Dewey then delivers the "Walk Hard" speech, which is the origin of the lyrics of his number one hit record. While working at a nightclub, Dewey gets a break when he replaces singer Bobby Shad (Craig Robinson) at the last minute, much to the delight of the Hasidic Jewish executives at the show. Dewey then is brought to the studio where he first records "Walk Hard."
Within 35 minutes, the song becomes a hit, and Dewey begins to get caught up in the fame of rock and roll. He starts to hang out with musicians such as Elvis Presley and later, The Beatles. With the addition of backing singer Darlene Madison, (Jenna Fischer) Dewey produces more hit records. Around this time, drummer Sam (Tim Meadows) introduces Dewey to marijuana, which causes him to become unfaithful to his first wife Edith in more ways than one. Pa then returns to inform Dewey that Dewey's mother has passed away. Pa manages to make Dewey feel responsible for her death, contributing to an already high level of inner turmoil. He then gets married to Darlene while still married to Edith, which leads to both of them leaving him. Dewey eventually is busted after purchasing cocaine from an undercover cop and serves time in jail before Darlene returns. Dewey's singing style is compared by a reporter to that of Bob Dylan, which Dewey angrily denies. In the next scene, a music video shows that Dewey's new song sounds exactly like Dylan, all the way down to the ridiculously nonsensical lyrics ("The mouse with the overbite explained/how the rabbits were ensnared/'N the skinny scanty sylph/trashed the apothecary diplomat/inside the three-eyed monkey/within inches of his toaster-oven life.").
They then move to Berkeley, California in 1966 at the beginning of the '60s counterculture movement. During a visit with The Beatles in India, Dewey and Darlene take LSD, which causes Dewey to lose touch with reality yet again. Dewey becomes obsessed with every aspect of the recording process and is completely consumed with creating his masterpiece, a reference to Brian Wilson's abandoned SMiLE project. The Beach Boys' landmark album Pet Sounds is also cited in a scene where a live goat is literally bleating on the track. Darlene is unable to deal with Dewey's insanity and leaves him again. After another stay in jail and rehab, Dewey is next seen jogging into the 1970s. Now hosting a variety television show like Johnny Cash had done, Dewey continues to try to write a masterpiece for his brother. However, Dewey comes to realize what is most important and begins to focus on spending time with his numerous children.
Darlene then returns once again, this time in 1992 as Dewey begins his senior years. While talking to Darlene at one of their children's birthday party, Dewey talks to Darlene about what he's done since they last met. When he holds her close he realizes she washed her hair. It is revealed then that his sense of smell has come back. Then, in 2007, Dewey becomes popular with younger listeners through rapper Lil' Nutzzak's remix of "Walk Hard." Dewey is also awarded a lifetime achievement award. He is finally able to fulfill his wish of creating one great masterpiece with his final song "Beautiful Ride." He dies three minutes after the performance (There is an ending scene of Dewey putting his hand over his heart).
[edit] Cast
- John C. Reilly as Dewford Randolph "Dewey" Cox
- Jenna Fischer as Darlene Madison Cox (singer Angela Correa provided her voice during the movie's musical numbers)
- Raymond J. Barry as Pa Cox
- Margo Martindale as Ma Cox
- Kristen Wiig as Edith
- Chip Hormess as Nate Cox
- Conner Rayburn as Dewey Cox Age 8
- Tim Meadows as Sam McPherson
- Chris Parnell as Theo
- Matt Besser as Dave
- David Krumholtz as Schwartzberg
- Craig Robinson as Bobby Shad
- Harold Ramis as L'Chaim
- Martin Starr as Schmendrick
- Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly
- Jack White as Elvis Presley
- Angela Little as Beth Anne
- Skyler Gisondo as Dewdrop Cox
- Simon Helberg as Dreidel L'Chaim
- Adam Herschman as Jerry Garcia (in a deleted scene)
- Eddie Vedder as himself
- The Temptations (Otis Williams, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Joe Herndon, Bruce Williams) as themselves
- Jackson Browne as himself
- Jewel Kilcher as herself
- Ghostface Killah as himself
- Lyle Lovett as himself
- Jonah Hill as Adult Nate's ghost (uncredited)
- Paul Rudd as John Lennon (uncredited)
- Jack Black as Paul McCartney (uncredited)
- Justin Long as George Harrison (uncredited)
- Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr (uncredited)
Unrated Version Additional Actors:
- Patrick Duffy as himself
- Morgan Fairchild as herself
- Cheryl Ladd as herself
- Cheryl Tiegs as herself
[edit] Soundtrack
Singer-songwriters Dan Bern and Mike Viola (of the Candy Butchers) wrote most of the film's songs, including "There's a Change a Happenin'," "Mulatto," "A Life Without You (Is No Life At All)," "Beautiful Ride" and "Hole in My Pants." Charlie Wadhams wrote the song "Let's Duet." Marshall Crenshaw wrote the title tune, and Van Dyke Parks penned one of the 1960-styled psychedelic jams, "Black Sheep."[2]
[edit] Production and development
| I just had this idea to do a fake biopic — or a real biopic about a fake person — and follow a musician's career trajectory. Jake Kasdan, 2007[2] |
Jake Kasdan brought the idea to his friend and fellow director Judd Apatow. They then began writing the film together.[2] The tongue-in-cheek references in this fake biopic were drawn from various sources. Apatow and Kasdan noted that they watched various types of biopics for inspiration including those of Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe.[3] Despite the humorous approach, the film was crafted in the serious tone of films ear-marked for an Oscar, adding to the irony.[4]
John C. Reilly, who actually sings and plays guitar was chosen to play the title role. The movie itself turned into a parody of Walk the Line as Dewey Cox closely mirrors Johnny Cash on a number of occasions. Perhaps the most obvious references are when Dewey repeatedly rips sinks off the wall throughout the movie, and the initial recording studio scene. "We took the clichés of movie biopics and just had fun with them," Reilly said.[2] Cameo appearances include Jack White as Elvis Presley, Jack Black as Paul McCartney, Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly, Justin Long as George Harrison, and Paul Rudd as John Lennon, Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr. The "deliberate miscasting" was intended to enhance the comedy.[5] David Honeyboy Edwards, Eddie Vedder, The Temptations, Jewel, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and Ghostface Killah all appear as themselves.[2] The movie's poster is a reference to the "young lion" photos of Jim Morrison.[6]
[edit] Promotional appearances
Along with a backing band, Reilly made seven musical appearances as Dewey Cox in the weeks prior to the film's release date. [7]
- December 5, 2007 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH)
- December 6, 2007 - The Cubby Bear (Chicago, IL)
- December 7, 2007 - Stubb's BBQ (Austin, TX)
- December 8, 2007 - Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN)
- December 10, 2007 - Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
- December 13, 2007 - Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. (Los Angeles, CA)
- December 19, 2007 - The Knitting Factory (New York, NY)
On December 19, 2007 Reilly performed in the character of Dewey Cox on Good Morning America.[8]
[edit] Reception
The film garnered 76% favorable reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, certifying it "fresh." Audiences were less enthusiastic, with only $18 million in domestic receipts, well below the film's budget. [1]
[edit] References
- ^ Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ a b c d e Hiatt, Brian (2007-08-09), "The Next 'Spinal Tap'?". Rolling Stone. (1032):20
- ^ Apatow, Kasdan and Reilly Walk Hard. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (2007-09-11), "'Walk Hard' riffs on greatest rockers", USA Today, volume and issue unknown:01d
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (11/23/2007), "'Walk Hard' takes a run at musical legends", USA Today, volume and issue unknown:3e
- ^ Faraci, Devin (2007-11-29) "THE DEVIN'S ADVOCATE: THE JUDD APATOW BACKLASH" CHUD.com Retrieved 2007-12-13
- ^ "JOHN C. REILLY LEADS “COX ACROSS AMERICA TOUR” IN CHARACTER", Paste Magazine, 2007-12-03.
- ^ "Dewey Cox performance on Good Morning America", Good Morning America, 19 December 2007.
