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John C. Reilly Hits All The Right Notes

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By CHRISTY LEMIRE, The Associated Press

Published: December 20, 2007

Judd Apatow can do no wrong, apparently.

Even in taking on a genre parody, an endeavor that would seem painfully hackneyed by now following "Scary Movie," "Epic Movie" and the like, the comic mastermind behind "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" manages to find fresh laughs again and again.

"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," a take-off on the music biopic, hits all the familiar conventions we've seen in overly earnest movies such as "Ray" and "Walk the Line." (This time, longtime Apatow friend and collaborator Jake Kasdan directs, and the two co-wrote the script.)

Marginally talented country rocker Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) comes from humble, Southern beginnings and experiences tragedy early - his brother's death, which haunts him long into adulthood. He marries his childhood sweetheart and eventually fulfills his dreams of music stardom through sheer heart and grit, even though the ones closest to him never quite believed in him.

Along the way, of course, he gets hooked on and quits every drug imaginable, has countless wives and children and hangs out with legends such as The Beatles, Buddy Holly and Elvis. (The cameos for these roles are classic, and the less you know about them going in, the better.)

Apatow and Kasdan sometimes don't know when to let their jokes die a graceful death, beating several of them into the ground. But what keeps the movie giddy and buoyant throughout is the presence of Reilly, a comic actor who can break your heart with his underdog sweetness, and who isn't afraid to go to the goofiest places possible for the big laughs.

Reilly frequently has been cast as the lovable sidekick ("Talladega Nights," "Boogie Nights") or the sympathetic sad-sack ("Magnolia," "Chicago"). "Walk Hard" gives this versatile character actor his long overdue chance to shine all the time - even when the role calls for him to be selfish and obnoxious.

Dewey Cox is a rock star, after all. This means he has to leave the stability of home (where his first wife, covered in babies and played by Kristen Wiig, repeatedly warns, "You're never gonna make it!") for the myriad temptations of the road. Tim Meadows is at his deadpan best as the band's drummer, Sam, who introduces Dewey to pot, coke, acid and ultimately Viagra, but has the decency to warn him about the drugs' perils first.

Bigger trouble comes in the form of the band's new backup singer, Darlene, played with uncharacteristic lusciousness by "The Office" co-star Jenna Fischer. Despite her abiding chastity - or perhaps because of it - Dewey can't resist her.

Apatow, Kasdan and Co. clearly have affection for this character, and for this kind of movie. As Reilly says in the production notes, "We treated Dewey Cox as if he really existed." And it shows.

But there's never any meanness involved. And except for some full-frontal male nudity, which is hilarious for its gratuitousness, there's really no gross-out humor.

MOVIE REVIEW

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story ***

MOVIE BOARD RATING: R (sexual content, nudity, drug use, profanity)

STARS: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows

DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan

LOCATION: See movie times, Page 8, for local showtimes.

PLOT SUMMARY: Country rocker triumphs over adversity to become a music legend.

RUNNING TIME: 96 minutes

ON THE WEB: walkhard-movie.com

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