Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Directed by Jake Kasdan. Starring John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig, Raymond J. Barry, Tim Meadows, Matt Besser, Chris Parnell, Margo Martindale, David Krumholtz, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Jane Lynch, Harold Ramis. [R]

Very funny parody of self-serious musician biopics (especially Walk the Line and Ray) casts Reilly as Dewey Cox, a natural musician who rises to fame in the 1950s. Takes gleeful aim at all the showbiz-skyrocket clichés, and wisely positions all the more outlandish material to take place in orbit of its star. This allows Reilly to not only play it pretty straight, but to also resemble a real character instead of a spoof-driven caricature; without his genial center of gravity, there wouldn’t have been as much comic momentum and the miffed jokes (there are a few) would have landed with a heavier thud. The supporting cast does fine work, too, especially Meadows as Dewey’s drummer who (somewhat reluctantly) introduces the singer to drugs…which Dewey never paid for, not once! A slew of recognizable faces show up in bit parts, often in cameos as fellow musicians (such as Jack White as Elvis Presley or Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as the Fab Four), or playing themselves (Eddie Vedder, Jackson Browne, et al).

79/100