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It's
such an odd move, if not a slightly arrogant one, from Apatow. After
delivering a new generation of cleverly written - slightly dirty - and
totally relatable comedies, Apatow and Co delivered a spoof movie.
Was it inspired by the success of the cheap & nasty Epic/Date/Scary Movie
franchise? Was it a guilty pleasure? Or was it simply because the movie
studio threw a buttload of cash at Apatow to create something that
wouldn't cost them to much and would allow him to screw around with his
mates.
Because, as far as I can tell, anyone who has ever been
remotely in Apatow's presence in the last 20 years makes an appearance
in Walk Hard - and it certainly can't be because "the script was so great".
With
every other genre already spoofed, writers Apatow and Kasdan have opted
to mine the classier realms of the Oscar winning music biopics Ray and Walk The Line.
It follows fictional iconic rock figure, Dewey Cox (serial sidekick,
John C. Reilly) - a rocker with a rise to fame not unlike Johnny Cash
(he cuts his brother in half with a machete) and a drug addiction not
unlike Ray Charles. But most of all,
he had the music that transformed a dimwitted country boy into the
greatest American rock star who never lived.
Walk Hard
really seems like a bit of a hack job, and I only say this because
Apatow had set himself such a high benchmark prior to lowering himself
to such easy comedic terrain. Because the truth is, the gags and laughs
are few and far between - with the film being saved by the sheer number
of celebrity cameos and familiar faces (those who are in-the-know with
all of Apatow's work will notice everyone and anyone on screen).
I
found myself more interested in who would appear next on screen than
what the actual gags were, which is probably not a good thing, but
certainly makes the film extremely watchable. Highlights to look out
for include Jack White (of The White Stripes) as a 'Take-No-Shit'
Elvis, Superbad's Jonah Hill
as a grown up version of Dewey's cut-in-half brother (does this guy
ever get a script or is he constantly free to improvise?), Malcom In The Middle's Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly - and the highlight of the entire movie - former SNL veteran Tim Meadows as Dewey's drug addicted drummer.
I've
been a fan of Meadows for years and years now, and while he's never
really been given the chance to show what he's made of (bar the highly
under-rated The Ladies Man)
this is a perfect example of his skills. It might just be the way he
speaks, but for mine, every word that comes from his mouth is pure gold.
By
no means a complete waste of time (it's ten times more intelligent than
any other spoof movie to hit our screens in the last decade, and the
music is just fantastic) but ultimately, it just seems like a complete
waste of the talent which Apatow & Kasdan had at their disposal.
But
let's face it, there is a fair chance this was written over the weekend
with a pile of money, a giant bag of weed and fistful of coke
anyways... but that's Hollywood - so good on them for embracing it! EXTRAS
While
the movie is somewhat of a let-down in the laughs department, Apatow
sure knows how to please a DVD crowd. Included here is a great
selection of extras including a pretty darn funny commentary and the
hilarious must-see 'Line-O-Rama' (there was one of these on the Superbad DVD, and it just proves how much fun and freedom there was on the set).
There's
also a cool mockumentary on 'the real' Dewey Cox, and an interesting
look at the process of creating the mass of songs (which really are
just superb) created for the film.
A good bit of fun to watch alongside Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared.
Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 90%
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