Walk hard…. hard…
Dewey Cox has always been on the short end of the stick, but thankfully not the machete. He had a talented brother, who was going places, but when a machete fight results in the halving of his brother, his parents look to him to succeed (or at least his mother does, his father just plainly hates him). When Dewey discovers guitar and the blues, he finds his passion in life. When his songs erupt into a riot when he’s 14, he soon leaves his home and searches for fortune and fame. Starting off rough, he finally gets his big break with the song Walk Hard. Needing to keep supporting his wife and his seven kids, he continues with his music career, discovering new things about life along the way. One discovery is a woman named Darlene Madison, who creates sexual tension between the two characters, but is a religious girl and can’t act out with Dewey. Of course, they eventually do, after they get married it’s on. The problem with this? He never divorced his first wife, so he gets taken to the bank and to rehab (he’s got drug issues). Will he survive his musical career, his two wives, his twenty-plus children? Only the movie will tell.
Talladega Nights was hilarious. It was stupid comedy, no denying that, but it was well-organized stupid comedy. Walk Hard certainly is funny, but it isn’t even close to Talladega Nights. And the movie comes in waves, rather than one consistent storyline. You’ve got moments were Dewey is saying stupid things, like how he might miss kids birthdays, but it’s all because he’s working. Or when a giraffe shows up in at the dinner table and no one is alarmed. Or even better, when a man’s penis ends up on screen because of a enormous sex-capade in a hotel room. That’s the entire film and it works, if you’re into that type of humor. When I first screened this in the theater, it was a riot, but after seeing it on Blu-ray for the first time, it just seems like a series of funny moments that maybe went a bit too far and too long. For example, when Tim Meadows (Sam in the film) is caught four times in the bathroom doing drugs, and explains the positives about the drugs in a negative manner, it was a bit too far. Comedy should always come in threes. That’s an old rule that Dick Van Dyke blatantly pointed out on his show many moons ago. You set the audience up, reel them in and then throw the punch-line. It’s okay to do the same time of joke, but it really gets old after the third time. And that’s a bit much, but shorten the film by twenty-minutes and you’ve got yourself a hit, but it already was a hit, so what do I know?
Anyway, moving on, I really enjoyed the singing in the film. It was funny, very dirty at times, but really cool nonetheless. I would certainly purchase a soundtrack of this film if I could. The music fills in the holes that the storyline leaves behind. Walk Hard works very well on this end of the stick. John C. Reilly shines with his Academy Award winning voice, and is perfect for comedies. Prior to Talladega Nights, he was always put in serious roles or very sub-secondary roles. I’m glad to see he’s got a leading part, which he certainly deserves, but I wish the story could have done him a bit more justice. As for his supporting cast, his band was hilarious. Chris Parnell, as Theo, was brilliant, just brilliant. Funny, quiet and outlandish at times. Matt Besser, who I’ve never seen in action before, is brilliant as the tolerant piano/back-up guitar player. He looks wonderful bald. Tim Meadows, who plays Sam — the drummer, is great form beginning to end! That guy should get another lead role in a film, he deserves it. Last, but certainly not least, is the funny perfomance from the the quiet secretary from The Office (The U.S. version) Jenna Fischer, who does her best to make sure she isn’t the same person we’ve all come to know her as. She’s funny, beautiful and most of all talented. All of these funny people, and the entire cast of 40 Year Old Virgin (minus Steve Carell), make this film work and work well.
The comedy and storyline might come in moments, but they certainly do show up. It’s a funny movie, certainly not for everyone and not for anyone with a weak heart, but if you’re into a shotty storyline and moments of comedy, then it’s perfect for you.
Twice as good on Blu-ray with the twice the features to sing about
This is probably the only movie that made me uncomfortable to have Blu-ray. And it comes down to one particular scene, which I will never get out of my mind. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get out of my mind. The only time I’ve seen a certain body part on film, with other folks, is with the comedy/drama Love! Valour! Compassion! but that was a serious movie, and this is not. So, yes… Blu-ray makes this movie ultra-clear for the eyes and beautifully audible for the ears. No complaints there.
What’s even more impressive about this Blu-ray is that you get it with a second disc of features, which is amazing. Here’s what you get:
-Commentary with John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, and Director Jake Kasdan
– Full SongPerformances
– FullMusical Performances
– Full SongPerformance
– Deleted& Extended Scenes
– DeletedScenes
– Deleted& Extended Scene
-Line-O-Rama
– AChristmas Song From Dewey Cox
– SongDemos
– TylerNilson: The Man Behind the Penis or Tyler Nilson: A Cockumentary
– Bull OnThe Loose
– The Musicof Walk Hard
– TheMaking of Walk Hard
– The RealDewey Cox (Talkin’ Bout Cox)
– The LastWord with John Hodgman
Hands down these are the best sets of features I’ve seen on Blu-ray to date! Loaded, lengthy and entertaining, this is a great addition to a good movie. This actually makes the movie better. Again, I can’t say enough about the music on this Blu-ray and the full song performances are spectacular. There’s so much to say, but I’ll just generalize it, these features are gorgeous!
Okay, on with the show
While I certainly don’t love this movie, it’s good. What’s even better is that FINALLY someone used the Blu-ray format properly by loading this with special features out the wazoo! Beautiful in high-def, even better with the singing in the enhanced 5.1, you’ll be pleased if you like this type of movie. You’ve been warned about the hotel scene, though. Warned!