Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I'm going to run a few reader reviews this morning and try to get a couple of my own done and out while I'm at it. Let's start with WALK HARD. This one is coming out this month and the early buzz has been very strong on it. We even have one reviewer below saying we haven't seen a movie of this type and quality since TOP SECRET, which are pretty big words in my world. Enjoy the reviews!
Just got out of a screening of Walk Hard at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. I wouldn’t have mentioned the location of the screening, but apparently some asshole from Village Roadshow accused me of fudging that IAL review. We didn't stay for the Q&A with Apatow and Kasdan. Not for any lack of interest; my buddy just had this mad hankerin' for Pinks. I guess I should disclose at this point that I've been pretty ambivalent about Apatow. I liked Freaks & Geeks when it was on, never got around to Knocked Up, and just didn't dig Superbad for some reason. And I think a little Jonah Hill goes a long way. But I really liked Walk Hard. We haven’t had a movie like this since Top Secret. I’m not saying it’s perfect. I mean, it ain’t The Naked Gun, but I had an excellent time. For my money, the only way any spoof like this works is to play it utterly straight. And that’s what the filmmakers do here. All the songs are believable, catchy and funny (I’ve still got a few stuck in my head). And the performances, particularly Reilly’s, are splendid. Dewey’s a real character with a real arc – not just a cipher to hang the gags on. And the movie has a great look. In some ways, Jake Kasdan does a better job of evoking period than Ridley Scott did in American Gangster – which was rife with lame anachronism. This movie doesn’t just lampoon rock biopics like Walk the Line and Ray, it also savages sixties solipsism, and pokes fun at our meretricious cult of celebrity. Brian Wilson, Roy Orbison, and the Beatles all take their lumps. There’s even a hilarious Return of the Jedi reference. There were a few bits I had laughed at in the trailer that didn’t make it into the movie. That sausage commercial “It doesn’t say Cox until I say it tastes like Cox.” And Dewey’s ill-fated guest spot on Dallas – we’ll have to wait for those bits to appear on some extended DVD, I guess. The hard part of writing a review like this is that I don’t want to spoil any of the jokes for you guys. So, fuck it, I won’t. And of course I know this kind of stuff is all highly subjective, but I highly recommend this one. Dakota Brown
Here's a more mixed review and the most negative of the three.
I just came from an early screening of Walk Hard down in Mission Valley, San Diego. It was a free screening with what i assume is a complete version of the film considering it comes out in 3 weeks. Plot revolves around the life of Dewey Cox and is pretty much a direct spoof of Walk the Line. It starts out with him as a young boy who discovers his natural ability to play the guitar and in doing so becomes rich and famous. Of course drugs come calling and he has his ups and downs throughout his career. Unfortunately, the movie just isnt that funny. What Worked: You have to give John C Riley credit because he is really trying his hardest here to give all of the material a chance. Obviously the story is nothing special, but the music is good and inventive with some pretty clever writing in the songs. All of the supporting characters is good with Tim Meadows as a standout character as well as a pretty damn funny scene with the Beatles. What Didn't Work: Being a fan of Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and other comedies of the sort, my expectations were not that high because those movies are generally very dumb, but they are a lot of fun. To be honest, they would have a better chance marketing this as a musical because it really just isn't that funny at all. If you thought Anchorman and Talladega were bad, this is like combining those two movies in the form of a sledge hammer and beating you over the head. It is extremely dumb, with very few, if any, big laughs. It wasn't just me either because the entire crowd was just mildly chuckling. The movie also feels long even though it is only like 1 hour and 45 minutes. All in all, I think that they missed a great opportunity with this movie because there are a ton of people in it that could have made it amazing with better material. 5.5/10 If you use this call me Red Redding
And this third and final review is the most detailed and professionally written review!
Hey, I wasn't exactly sure how to go about sending this in, but I saw Walk Hard at the Ritz East in Philadelphia last Monday and thought I'd send over my review. Sorry if I botched protocol by sending it to you. With Knocked Up and Superbad, Judd Apatow’s been on a roll this year, offering side-splitting comedies that double as quality films equipped with all the trappings (emotional richness, a real sense of character, etc.). Despite having an Oscar-nominated lead, Walk Hard, the latest from Apatow’s production company, offers nothing like that. Taking aim at music biopics, Apatow has packaged something that doesn’t attempt to balance it’s silliness with a sense of gravity. Judging by the trailer, many may be expecting something similar to a Will Ferrell comedy, but Walk Hard is much more in the vein of Airplane. That said, it's not nearly as iconic as that film and doesn't even sort of approach what Mel Brooks did for satire. Still, Walk Hard is leagues ahead of the junk that’s been passing for satire recently (anything dubbed [Insert genre here] Movie). Actually, it’s easily the best parody film since the original Austin Powers, which debuted over ten years ago. Drawing inspiration from Walk the Line and Ray (its primary targets), Walk Hard pokes fun at how similar such films are. Most people know the drill: brother dies, protagonist blames himself and tunnels his pain into great music before falling victim to the perils of celebrity (primarily adultery and drugs) only to eventually reclaim his life. More specifically, the plot follows Walk the Line very closely. In addition to the narrative beats above, the life of Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) mirrors that of Johnny Cash, in that he also divorces his unsupportive first wife (SNL’s Kristen Wiig) to marry his religious, duet partner (Jenna Fischer). Throughout all of this, elements from Ray are sprinkled throughout to spice up the proceedings. The film really hits these films hard, taking scenes directly from those movies (even camera angles and line readings in some cases) to uncover comic gold. However, going much more into the plot is almost pointless, as the film often abandons the common narrative to poke fun at American society one decade at a time. The film’s strongest asset in this regard is its shrewd soundtrack. Apatow and his crew have crafted some good, authentic-sounding songs that greatly increase the film’s worth (the title track and "Deut" are especially noteworthy, and for those that can't wait I jsut rewatched them on Wednesday over at funordie.com). However, due credit should also be given to Jake Kasdan, who provides assured direction and shared co-writing duties with Apatow. With two tonally different comedies out in one year (the other being the excellent-but-little-seen The TV Set), Kasdan has finally emerged as a major writing/directing talent after years in the business. Given the task to carry his own mainstream comedy, Reilly commands the screen. Although the marketing campaign presents Cox as a dimwit in the vein of Ferrell’s slew of comedy characters (God knows why their doing this), Reilly offers a smarter, fresher take on the same character-type. There is an occasional misstep (the running-through-the-streets-practically-naked scene is trying too hard), but, for the most part, Reilly excels. This is especially true musically. Although he hinted at his vocal skills in Chicago and Magnolia, Reilly really gets to display his range here, mimicking all sorts of musical greats, from Cash to Bob Dylan. I’ve been told he plays at clubs with Jon Brion and various other musicians, and after viewing his performance here, I’m not surprised. While I'd like to see Reilly make a glorious return to straight acting, a quick glance at his upcoming slate tells me that's not likely, so at least he's bringing his A-effort to these comedy roles. Fischer, given more to do than in Blades of Glory, is both stunning and hilarious. Like Reilly, she’s got some serious understated chops (she should have won an Emmy for The Office), but proves her versatility here by going over-the-top. Although I’m pretty sure she doesn’t do her own singing, she ably milks erotic sexual tension for all of its comedy value. Considering her talent and sex appeal, it would be shocking if someone doesn’t take a shot on her in a “real” lead role soon. The supporting cast is solid all around, with Tim Meadows being the standout as Cox’s drummer/best friend (lets hope Apatow continues to use him, because he’s a total scene stealer here, just like he was on SNL and in Mean Girls). Every major character has a running gag or two, but his sporadically hilarious line readings make his the cream of the crop. In addition, the movie has an overload of cameos. Some of these are inspired (notably the Beatles cast and John Michael Higgins), but many are just included for the hell of it, funny only because of the ludicrousness of their presence (after Stuck on You, this is the second time Frankie Muniz has been used in such a way. It's still funny, but it's sad that the guy's become a parody of himself already). Although it’s very amusing, Walk Hard isn’t perfect. While it maintains a nice comic edge for much of its short running length, hilarity becomes less sporadic when Cox falls out of the music industry (the film remains decent, and then comes to life a few times, but it never gets back on all cylinders). In addition, the film doesn’t really work on a level that transcends parody (songs excluded). Unlike the work of Mel Brooks (and to a lesser extent the first Austin Powers), there isn’t much going on in the way of character development or story. As with Airplane, any indication of development is just utilized as another joke. Despite such grips, the film works on its own terms, providing Apatow with yet another surefire hit. On the strength of some clever satire, great music, and strong performances, Walk Hard is definitely worth checking out. I don’t know how to review this any better without giving away jokes that should be experienced in the theater. If you use this call me Just Excited To Be Here.
