|
HTF Sony/Columbia Reviewer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Local Time: 04:29 AM
Local Date: 07-06-2008
Posts: 456
|
HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Walk Hard The Dewey Cox Story
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Studio: Sony/Columbia
Year: 2007
Rated:
R (Theatrical Version)
Unrated (Extended Version)
Program Length:
96 minutes (Theatrical Version)
120 minutes (Extended Version)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 1080p
AVC/MPEG-4 codec
Languages: English, French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish 5.1, Portuguese 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
|
The Program
I think I’m doing okay for a 15-year-old with a wife and a baby. – Dewey Cox
If the idea of John C. Reilly playing a teenager fails to bring a smile to your face, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story may not be the film for you. On the other hand, if you are a fan of Superbad, Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and other comedies produced by Judd Apatow, you may well agree that this is one of the funniest movies of 2007.
Walk Hard is a send-up of every Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll biopic, most obviously Walk the Line. There is hardly a single cliché which is not present in the plot and lampooned at every turn. The adults in the 1950s who call rock music “Satanic,” the single recorded in an obscure studio which becomes an instant hit, the unhappy home life, sex and drugs while on the road – these and other staples of the biopic are exaggerated to great comedic effect. Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) is the son of a poor Alabama farmer. When tragedy befalls his more talented brother (on a day when nothing could possibly go wrong!), Dewey takes up music and becomes a local sensation when he sings at his high school talent show (one of the jokes is that the filmmakers do not even make an effort to make Dewey look like a teenager). Dewey then leaves home with his 12-year-old girlfriend, Edith (Kristen Wiig) and sets out to make it in the world of music.
Dewey gets a job sweeping up at a black nightclub where the patrons like to “dance erotically.” He gets a break one night when the regular singer/guitarist injures his hands and comes down with laryngitis, and Dewey is pressed into service. This leads to an opportunity to cut a demo record at a recording studio. The session starts off disastrously when Dewey sings a bluegrass version of “Amore,” but he redeems himself when he sings an original song he has written, “Walk Hard.” This scene features a very funny cameo by John Michael Higgins as the record producer.
The film then follows the ups and downs of Dewey’s career and personal life for 50 years. Along the way he receives encouragement from Buddy Holly, meets Elvis, goes to India to meditate and drop acid with The Beatles, becomes a polygamist, is arrested and enters rehab, and somehow finds time to have at least 22 children. Much of the humor comes from Dewey’s interactions with his band, Sam (a hilarious performance by Tim Meadows), Theo (Chris Parnell) and Dave (Matt Besser). Along the way Dewey meets the true love of his life, Darlene (Jenna Fischer). Dewey and Darlene sing a highly suggestive double-entendre song together called “Let’s Duet” which has to be heard to be fully appreciated, but the opening lines will give you some idea:
Dewey: In my dreams, you're blowin' me . . . some kisses.
Darlene: That's one of my favorite things to do.
Dewey: You and I could go down . . . in history.
Darlene: That's what I'm praying' to do with you.
The theatrical version of Walk Hard ran from 96 minutes. The extended “Unbearably long, self-indulgent director's cut" version adds about 25 minutes of footage. Some of the additional footage is extended scenes which appear in the original, but much of it involves a 1970s variety show which Dewey hosts during a period when his musical creativity has given out. Both versions work very well, and I was happy to see that Sony has incorporated both of them into the Blu-ray release.
As you would expect, the humor gets quite raunchy at times and there are plenty of “Cox” jokes (try saying “Cheryl Cox-Tiegs” several times, quickly). What surprised me is how well-produced this film is, particularly in regard to the musical numbers. John C. Reilly is a remarkably talented singer and guitarist, and the songs are actually very good. In fact, one could easily picture Johnny Cash singing the title song (which was written by Marshall Crenshaw).
I laughed long (and hard) throughout this film. However, comedy is a very personal thing, so your own reaction may well depend upon your own personal taste. If you liked Superbad, it is probably safe to assume that you will laugh heartily at Walk Hard.
The Video
The 1080p Blu-ray widescreen transfer is excellent. Color fidelity is fine throughout and the picture is sharp and crystal-clear. There is minimal grain and I observed no problems with digital artifacts or edge enhancement. The producers built some wonderful sets for the musical numbers and they look absolutely terrific. Black levels are excellent and shadow detail is quite good. This is a first-class Blu-ray release by Sony.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 audio is very good and delivers the soundtrack with plenty of dimensionality and impact. The musical numbers have a great deal of immediacy and at times really pack a punch. The concert scenes made me feel like I was a member of the audience. The dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
The Supplements
The supplemental materials on Walk Hard are plentiful and first-rate.
For openers, there is an informative and funny commentary track with John C. Reilly, director Jake Kasdan, and producers Judd Apatow and Lew Morton.
The extended version of the film allows the viewer to activate an icon which appears whenever an extended scene or a scene which was cut from the theatrical version is playing.
Viewers can also watch complete versions of the songs which are played in the film, which is quite a treat. A feature called “Line-o-Rama” captures some of the funnier lines from the film. There is an interesting featurette which shows how the original music for the film was created, and demo versions of the songs are available (it is enjoyable to compare the demos with the versions which appear in the film). One of the surprises is how much input Reilly had into how the songs were arranged and performed.
The extras include even more extended and deleted scenes. There is also a Dewey Cox Christmas song, in which Dewey explains why he has to miss yet another holiday with his family. Dewey naturally has his own line of breakfast sausage, and we get to see him filming a commercial (“It doesn’t say Cox unless I say it tastes like Cox”). There is a featurette called “Tyler Nilson: A Cockumentary,” a piece which defies description and has to be seen to be appreciated (or not). There also is a faux featurette called “The Real Dewey Cox” in which John C. Reilly goes into some detail about how he got the part because he worked so hard to capture the essence of the “real” Dewey.
There is also a straightforward “making of” featurette and a scary segment about how a scene of a bull running loose in a pen nearly turned into a disaster. A very funny segment, ghoulishly entitled “The Last Word,” features John Hodgman interviewing an elderly Dewey and the people who played important roles in his life.
Sony has also included three BD-Live mini-featurettes which require a Profile 2.0 BD player and Internet access via an Ethernet connection. I do not have an Ethernet connection and cannot comment on the BD-Live content.
Other Features
The pop-up menu allows the viewer to change audio selections, turn sub-titles on and off, and turn the commentaries on and off while the film continues to play. Getting to the extended cut of the film is a bit cumbersome. You have to go into Special Features, click on which version you want to watch, and then go back and press “play” again in the main menu.
The Packaging
The two discs disc comes in a standard-sized Blu-ray keepcase, one disc per side.
The Final Analysis
I laughed out loud when I saw Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story in a theater, and I laughed just has hard the second time around. The film looks great, sounds great, and is a wonderful, raunchy parody of Hollywood biopics.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD10A DVD Player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Rich Gallagher
|
