Dewey cox biography wikipedia

2007 US comedy film by Jake Kasdan

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

A parody of greatness biopic genre, Walk Hard deterioration the story of a made-up early rock and roll idol played by Reilly.

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

The film portrays mythical versions of artists Buddy Songster, 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 say publicly musical styles of David Pioneer, Billy Joel, Van Dyke Parks, the Gun Club, and decade punk rock.

The film was released in North America school December 21, 2007. It conventional positive reviews from critics however was a box office unfulfilment, grossing only $20 million ruin a $35 million budget. Righteousness film has since become great cult classic.^[3]

Plot

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

His pop blames him for Nate's kill and the trauma causes him to lose his sense go along with smell. Dewey meets a redolent guitarist who discovers his plainspoken experience instilled in him far-out natural affinity for playing melancholy.

In 1953, Dewey performs unbendable a school talent show person in charge drives the crowd wild confront his song "Take My Hand," and his father kicks him out of the house, profession it the "Devil'smusic".

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

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

A desperate Educator performs "Walk Hard," a inexpensively inspired by a speech dirt gave Edith, which restores say publicly executive's belief in Judaism sports ground rockets him to superstardom.

The song quickly becomes a luck and Dewey becomes caught make better in the rock 'n' reel lifestyle. He soon performs her highness first concert as the next act to Elvis Presley, Sidekick Holly, and The Big Bopper.

Dewey is introduced to cannabis by his drummer Sam abide becomes unfaithful to Edith. Dewey's father informs him that mother has died while fulgurate to Dewey's song and blames Dewey's music for her realize.

Distraught, Dewey finds Sam spurn cocaine and partakes, resulting look a cocaine-fueled punk rock lend a hand.

Choir-girl Darlene Madison enters Dewey's life, and he produces distinct sexually suggestive hit records midst their courtship. He weds Darlene while still married to Edith, which leads to both corps leaving him, after which Philosopher purchases drugs from an illuminate cop. After he serves date in prison and in straighten out, Darlene returns.

They move merriment Berkeley, California in 1966 via the counterculture movement. Dewey's original singing style is compared bump into that of Bob Dylan, which he angrily denies. In prestige next scene, a music picture shows that Dewey's new concert mimics Dylan's style, including sphinxlike lyrics ("The mouse with nobleness overbite explained/how the rabbits were ensnared/ and the skinny scarce sylph/ trashed the apothecary diplomat/ inside the three-eyed monkey/ in inches of his toaster-oven life.").

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

Dewey becomes consumed with creating his tour de force Black Sheep (a homage weather Brian Wilson's Smile). The crowd resents his insane musical lobby group and abusive behavior and breaks up; Darlene, also unable appoint deal with him, leaves him for Glen Campbell.

During alternative stint in rehab, Dewey esteem visited by the ghost emulate Nate, who ridicules his self-pity and tells him to engender writing songs again.

In rendering 1970s, Dewey now hosts smart CBSvariety television show but decay unable to compose a chef-d`oeuvre for his brother. Nate reappears and urges him to bring back together with their father.

Dewey see his father wind up dueling with machetes; despite having pour years for this moment, queen father cuts himself in section, forgives Dewey for Nate's defile, tells him to be spiffy tidy up better father, and dies. Pedagogue breaks down and destroys approximately everything in his home.

Dewey is approached by one wink his illegitimate children and decides to reconnect with his go to regularly offspring.

In 1992, a divorced Darlene returns to him. At the last moment realizing what is most chief, Dewey regains his sense find smell and remarries her.

In 2007, L'Chaim's son Dreidel informs Dewey of his popularity suggest itself young listeners through rapper Lil' Nutzzak's sampling of "Walk Hard." Dewey learns he is oppress receive a lifetime achievement give.

They want him to harmonious a song at the ritual, but Dewey is reluctant, fearing his old temptations. However, fumble his family's support, he reunites with his band and level-headed finally able to create horn great masterpiece, summing up diadem entire life with his terminating song, "Beautiful Ride," while further deciding against trying a medicament offered to him.

A label card reveals that Dewey labour three minutes after this furthest back performance, which then also deciphers "Dewford Randolph Cox, 1936–2007." Deft post-credits scene is a strand black-and-white clip of "the unembroidered Dewey Cox, April 16, 2002" (still played by Reilly).

Cast

Production and development

Jake Kasdan brought the idea to fulfil friend and fellow director Judd Apatow. They then began verbal skill the film together.^[7] The derisive references in this fake biopic were drawn from various large quantity. Apatow and Kasdan noted ditch they watched various types funding biopics for inspiration, including those of Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe.^[8] Despite the humorous dispensing, the film was crafted spiky the serious tone of flicks earmarked for an Oscar, calculation to the irony.^[9]

John C.

Reilly, who actually sings and plays guitar, was chosen to use the title role. "We took the clichés of movie biopics and just had fun deal with them," Reilly said.^[7] The "deliberate miscasting" of celebrity cameos, specified as Elvis Presley and decency Beatles, was intended to grind the comedy.^[10] The film's bill is a reference to glory "young lion" photos of Jim Morrison.^[11]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the coat has an approval rating relief 74% based on 141 reviews, with an average rating disregard 6.6/10.

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

Roger Ebert scored the film three end up of four and wrote: "Instead of sending everything over nobleness top at high energy, affection Top Secret! or Airplane!, they allow Reilly to more stretch less actually play the flavorlessness, so that, against all karma, some scenes actually approach eerie sentiment."^[14] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "The shady thing about parody movies assay that the jokes get aspect fast and they're hit-and-miss.

Walk Hard, a spoof of at times musical biopic from Ray rise and fall Walk the Line, is bad on both counts. How well-off that when the jokes enact hit, they kick major ass."^[15] A 2022 review of justness best comedy films of character 21st century placed this unexpected result sixth.^[16]

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

John C.

Reilly received grand Golden Globe nomination for Properly Performance in a Musical interpret Comedy and a nomination fail to appreciate Best Original Song.^[17]

Home media

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

As spick and span May 2010, DVD sales own acquire gathered revenue of $15,664,735.^[19]

Promotional appearances

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

• December 5, 2007 – Rock & Roll Hallway of Fame (Cleveland, OH)
• December 6, 2007 – The Cubby Contend with (Chicago, IL)
• December 7, 2007 – Stubb's BBQ (Austin, TX)
• December 8, 2007 – Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN)
• December 10, 2007 – Not to be faulted American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
• December 11, 2007 – High-mindedness Blacksheep (Colorado Springs, CO)
• December 13, 2007 – Guitar Center setting Sunset Blvd.

  (Los Angeles, CA)

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

Several fake commercials were aired including one with Lavatory Mayer, hinting Dewey might background his father.

Soundtrack

Main article: Step Hard: The Dewey Cox Chronicle (soundtrack)

Singer-songwriters Dan Bern and Microphone Viola (of the Candy Butchers) wrote most of the film's songs, including "There's a Have a chinwag a Happenin'", "Mulatto", "A Take a crack at Without You (Is No Seek at All)", "Beautiful Ride" captain "Hole in My Pants".

Dipstick Wadhams and Benji Hughes wrote the song "Let's Duet".^[3]Marshall Crenshaw wrote the title song, snowball Van Dyke Parks penned rendering Brian Wilson-esque 1960s-styled psychedelic stuff "Black Sheep" (the recording schoolroom seems to be a extract parody of Wilson's Smile manual sessions, on which Van Channel Parks worked).^[7] Antonio Ortiz wrote "Take My Hand".

A digit of critics noted the exceptionally high quality of many announcement the individual songs on ethics soundtrack, how well they imitate the styles and times they were attempting to parody, deliver how well they stood disseminate their own as quality compositions. The soundtrack was nominated tend both a Grammy and Halcyon Globe Award and was tabled and won the Sierra Jackpot for Best Song in excellent Motion Picture from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.

Ablutions C. Reilly sang on descent the tracks and played bass on most of them.

References

External links