Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story is directed by Jake Kasdan, and stars John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, and Kristen Wiig. ***

Walk Hard is the comedic, fictional story of Dewey Cox, a world-famous country musician who had risen up from nothing. In his life he has serviced many women, befriended some of the biggest names in rock and roll, and remained consistently popular, despite various obstacles in his life (each more comical than the last.) ***

Think “Spinal Tap” meets “Walk The Line” and you'll get an idea of what to expect from Walk Hard. It's an absolutely hilarious film from start to finish. From scenes that go back several decades in the past and beautifully reflect the music of those eras, to the actual musical scenes, so laden with innuendoes and ludicrous lyrics, the whole thing is extremely fun to watch. The level of humor is uneven and some of the “between the songs” scenes tend to drag, but in the end that doesn't change this reviewer's mind. If you're a fan of well-crafted satires, this was one of the best of last year. ***

Naturally, the thing will draw you in the most is the humor. Director Jake Kasdan doesn't just limit himself to innuendo-laden songs as the only source of humor (although I won't deny that those are some of the best moments in the movie.) Kasdan does a brilliant job creating a piece that stretches back several decades. For this reviewer, the best scenes in the movie were the ones set in the past, with Dewey following the trends of the day. Era-accurate music always backs these scenes up, only adding to the comedic value. The level of humor is all over the place, at times over-the-top slapstick that probably would have been better off in another film. But everything works well. It WILL make you laugh, and in the end, isn't that all that really matters? ***

The film is a satirical take on the whole music biopic thing, but naturally, the main victim of parodying is the Johnny Cash-based film, Walk the Line. Many of Dewey Cox's tragedies and lifetime events directly parody that film. If you saw Walk the Line, you'll appreciate Walk Hard all the more, since you'll have a better understanding of what is being parodied. That's not to say you won't enjoy it if you haven't seen the parody source, though. ***

Despite a few minor flaws and dragging points, Walk Hard is a well-crafted satire that will have you laughing yourself silly. The music, the flashback scenes, the actors and their performances…. It's impossible not to laugh. ---

Image And Sound:

The anamorphic widescreen presentation features incredible picture quality. The image is sharp and clear, with no excessive grain or visual defects. And as a movie that regularly employs music as one of its comedic tools, you'll be delighted to know that the sound quality is excellent as well. ---

The two-disc set features a ton of little featurettes, though they tend to be hit and miss. The highlights of the package are the commentary track, the making-of featurette, and the song performances, the latter obviously being one of the best things about the film itself. These few extras are the best things in the set, and any fan should check them out. Other lesser featurettes include deleted scenes, extended versions of scenes, and featurettes regarding the main character and music. Most of this stuff, though, is fairly brief and disposable. This could easily have been a one-disc set with just the aforementioned worthwhile extras. Still, if you liked the movie, you'll probably want to see everything on the disc once.

Final Words: