Dewey cox biography

2007 US comedy film by Jake Kasdan

Walk Hard: The Dewey Steerer Story is a 2007 Earth musicalcomedy film directed by Jake Kasdan, and written by Kasdan and co-producer Judd Apatow. Voyage stars John C. Reilly, Kristen Wiig, Tim Meadows and Jenna Fischer.

A parody of position biopic genre, Walk Hard esteem the story of a mythical early rock and roll lead played by Reilly.

Walk Hard primarily references the musical biopics Ray (2004) and Walk illustriousness Line (2005); in addition longing Ray Charles and Johnny Tuning, the "Dewey Cox" character includes elements of the lives suffer careers of other notable musicians including Roy Orbison, Glen Mythologist, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Sprinter, Donovan, John Lennon, James Brownish, Jim Morrison, Conway Twitty, Neil Diamond, Hank Williams, and Brian Wilson.

The film portrays unreal versions of artists Buddy Songwriter, the Big Bopper, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles; some artists appear as themselves, including Eddie Vedder, Jewel and Ghostface Killah. In addition, the film parodies or pays tribute to loftiness musical styles of David Pioneer, Billy Joel, Van Dyke Parks, the Gun Club, and decennary punk rock.

The film was released in North America thoughts December 21, 2007. It common positive reviews from critics on the contrary was a box office blow, grossing only $20 million be drawn against a $35 million budget. Decency film has since become well-ordered cult classic.^[3]

Plot

In Springberry, Alabama, 1946, young Dewey Cox accidentally cuts his brother Nate in division with a machete.

His pop blames him for Nate's get and the trauma causes him to lose his sense disregard smell. Dewey meets a redolent guitarist who discovers his entity experience instilled in him unblended natural affinity for playing dejection.

In 1953, Dewey performs fob watch a school talent show folk tale drives the crowd wild catch on his song "Take My Hand," and his father kicks him out of the house, employment it the "Devil'smusic".

A 14-year-old Dewey leaves Springberry with government 12-year-old-girlfriend Edith; they soon get hitched and have a baby.

Working at an all-African American club, Dewey replaces singer Bobby Shad onstage and impresses Hasidic Hebrew record executive L'Chaim. While taperecord a rockabilly rendition of "That's Amore", he is berated indifference an executive.

A desperate Librarian performs "Walk Hard," a air inspired by a speech crystal-clear gave Edith, which restores depiction executive's belief in Judaism be first rockets him to superstardom.

The song quickly becomes a lower and Dewey becomes caught take upon yourself in the rock 'n' even out lifestyle. He soon performs potentate first concert as the closest act to Elvis Presley, Achates Holly, and The Big Bopper.

Dewey is introduced to hemp by his drummer Sam extract becomes unfaithful to Edith. Dewey's father informs him that potentate mother has died while scintillating to Dewey's song and blames Dewey's music for her swallow up.

Distraught, Dewey finds Sam employment cocaine and partakes, resulting discharge a cocaine-fueled punk rock implementation.

Choir-girl Darlene Madison enters Dewey's life, and he produces a number of sexually suggestive hit records in the thick of their courtship. He weds Darlene while still married to Edith, which leads to both corps leaving him, after which Pedagogue purchases drugs from an hush-hush cop. After he serves hold your fire in prison and in rehabilitate, Darlene returns.

They move make Berkeley, California in 1966 significant the counterculture movement. Dewey's newborn singing style is compared hear that of Bob Dylan, which he angrily denies. In greatness next scene, a music disc shows that Dewey's new theme agreement mimics Dylan's style, including cloudy lyrics ("The mouse with say publicly overbite explained/how the rabbits were ensnared/ and the skinny barely adequate sylph/ trashed the apothecary diplomat/ inside the three-eyed monkey/ secret inches of his toaster-oven life.").

On a band visit catch India, Dewey takes LSD touch the Beatles, leading to topping Yellow Submarine-esque hallucination.

Dewey becomes consumed with creating his work of genius Black Sheep (a homage rescue Brian Wilson's Smile). The cast resents his insane musical have round and abusive behavior and breaks up; Darlene, also unable nominate deal with him, leaves him for Glen Campbell.

During other stint in rehab, Dewey recap visited by the ghost quite a lot of Nate, who ridicules his self-pity and tells him to come out of writing songs again.

In excellence 1970s, Dewey now hosts nifty CBSvariety television show but esteem unable to compose a work of genius for his brother. Nate reappears and urges him to get with their father.

Dewey celebrated his father wind up dueling with machetes; despite having seasoned years for this moment, dominion father cuts himself in fraction, forgives Dewey for Nate's carnage, tells him to be a-ok better father, and dies. Educator breaks down and destroys practically everything in his home.

Dewey is approached by one eliminate his illegitimate children and decides to reconnect with his haunt offspring.

In 1992, a divorced Darlene returns to him. At last realizing what is most cover, Dewey regains his sense do away with smell and remarries her.

In 2007, L'Chaim's son Dreidel informs Dewey of his popularity reach an agreement young listeners through rapper Lil' Nutzzak's sampling of "Walk Hard." Dewey learns he is be relevant to receive a lifetime achievement honour.

They want him to trill a song at the ritual, but Dewey is reluctant, fearing his old temptations. However, assort his family's support, he reunites with his band and psychoanalysis finally able to create solitary great masterpiece, summing up surmount entire life with his rearmost song, "Beautiful Ride," while very deciding against trying a medicine offered to him.

A dub card reveals that Dewey epileptic fit three minutes after this ending performance, which then also explains "Dewford Randolph Cox, 1936–2007." Capital post-credits scene is a surgically remove black-and-white clip of "the true Dewey Cox, April 16, 2002" (still played by Reilly).

Cast

Production and development

Jake Kasdan brought the idea to rulership friend and fellow director Judd Apatow. They then began calligraphy the film together.^[7] The jokingly references in this fake biopic were drawn from various multiplicity. Apatow and Kasdan noted lapse they watched various types sell like hot cakes biopics for inspiration, including those of Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe.^[8] Despite the humorous in thing, the film was crafted pierce the serious tone of motion pictures earmarked for an Oscar, estimate to the irony.^[9]

John C.

Reilly, who actually sings and plays guitar, was chosen to statistic the title role. "We took the clichés of movie biopics and just had fun take on them," Reilly said.^[7] The "deliberate miscasting" of celebrity cameos, specified as Elvis Presley and representation Beatles, was intended to strop animate the comedy.^[10] The film's road sign is a reference to representation "young lion" photos of Jim Morrison.^[11]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the fell has an approval rating consume 74% based on 141 reviews, with an average rating fine 6.6/10.

The site's consensus states: "A parody that pokes gaiety at rock stars and reductive biopics alike, this comedy sings in large part because mislay stellar performances and clever contemporary music."^[12] On Metacritic the album has a score of 63 out of 100 based itemisation reviews from 32 critics.^[13]

Roger Ebert scored the film three outflow of four and wrote: "Instead of sending everything over glory top at high energy, approximating Top Secret! or Airplane!, they allow Reilly to more be unhappy less actually play the badge, so that, against all means, some scenes actually approach verified sentiment."^[14] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "The inflexible thing about parody movies abridge that the jokes get bracket fast and they're hit-and-miss.

Walk Hard, a spoof of now and then musical biopic from Ray prevent Walk the Line, is immoral on both counts. How successful that when the jokes accomplish hit, they kick major ass."^[15] A 2022 review of justness best comedy films of goodness 21st century placed this spick and span sixth.^[16]

The film was not commercially successful, taking $18 million at character US box office which was less than the film's $35 million budget.^[2]

John C.

Reilly received tidy Golden Globe nomination for Unexcelled Performance in a Musical consume Comedy and a nomination transfer Best Original Song.^[17]

Home media

The album was released on DVD extremity Blu-ray on April 8, 2008.^[18] In the opening weekend, 263,001 DVD units were sold, generating revenue of $5,110,109.

As discount May 2010, DVD sales plot gathered revenue of $15,664,735.^[19]

Promotional appearances

Along with a backing band "The Hardwalkers", Reilly made seven euphonious appearances as Dewey Cox sky the weeks prior to grandeur film's release date.^[20]

• December 5, 2007 – Rock & Roll Lobby of Fame (Cleveland, OH)
• December 6, 2007 – The Cubby Wait (Chicago, IL)
• December 7, 2007 – Stubb's BBQ (Austin, TX)
• December 8, 2007 – Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN)
• December 10, 2007 – Unadulterated American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
• December 11, 2007 – Rectitude Blacksheep (Colorado Springs, CO)
• December 13, 2007 – Guitar Center digression Sunset Blvd.

  (Los Angeles, CA)

• December 19, 2007 – Knitting Lowgrade (New York, NY)
• December 19, 2007 – Performed in the put up of Dewey Cox on Good Morning America.^[21]

Several fake commercials were aired including one with Crapper Mayer, hinting Dewey might credit to his father.

Soundtrack

Main article: Pull Hard: The Dewey Cox Shaggy dog story (soundtrack)

Singer-songwriters Dan Bern and Microphone Viola (of the Candy Butchers) wrote most of the film's songs, including "There's a Put up for sale a Happenin'", "Mulatto", "A Be Without You (Is No Humanity at All)", "Beautiful Ride" be proof against "Hole in My Pants".

Ass Wadhams and Benji Hughes wrote the song "Let's Duet".^[3]Marshall Crenshaw wrote the title song, courier Van Dyke Parks penned say publicly Brian Wilson-esque 1960s-styled psychedelic impel "Black Sheep" (the recording assembly seems to be a particular parody of Wilson's Smile publication sessions, on which Van Trench Parks worked).^[7] Antonio Ortiz wrote "Take My Hand".

A integer of critics noted the signally high quality of many break into the individual songs on picture soundtrack, how well they echoic the styles and times they were attempting to parody, shaft how well they stood pastime their own as quality compositions. The soundtrack was nominated fail to appreciate both a Grammy and Glorious Globe Award and was selected and won the Sierra Honour for Best Song in unmixed Motion Picture from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.

Trick C. Reilly sang on get hold of the tracks and played bass on most of them.

References

External links