There's a very obvious trend going on in Hollywood, under the watchful eye of Judd Apatow. The successful writer/producer has followed on the success of comedies such as 'The 40-Year Old Virgin' and 'Knocked-Up' with a send up of recent music biopics, in particular the huge hit based on the life of Johnny Cash - 'Walk The Line'.
This particular brand of humour is predominantly masculine, slightly childish and utterly unrestrained in where it is prepared to go. They are definitely comedies for adults, focusing mostly on sexual relationships and the latent childishness of men. 'Walk Hard', however, follows more along the lines of 'Talladega Nights' and 'Anchorman' with the creation of a modern legend, his self-destruction thanks to his own idiocy, and his ultimate redemption. The fault at the heart of 'Walk Hard' is that while it attempts to send up musical biopics, with their hard-hitting stories of drug abuse, adultery, and the quest for self-understanding, it also succeeds in becoming a cliche of the genre to which it belongs, in which this character path is well established.
'Walk Hard' tells the story of Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly), a Johnny Cash-style country singer with a troubled paradise and an addictive personality. He quickly rises to fame when his music connects with the youth of the late forties (the dating of this whole movement is rather off, as it didn't really kick off until the fifties), but his marriage falls apart and he sinks into drug addiction. He finds solace in the arms of back-up singer Darlene (Jenna Fischer) but destroys that too when he becomes too involved in his drug-fuelled quest for ground-breaking music. Ultimately, by reconnecting with his distant father, he understands his true role as a father to his own children (about 37 I think), before making a comeback on TV. Along the way, he sings enigmatic protest songs like Bob Dylan, takes acid in India with the battling Beatles and alienates his bandmates like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
It's all very familiar, with recognisable elements of many great rock legends; the comedy, however, is never so sophisticated. John C. Reilly is a fine actor, of both comic and serious material, but he fails to handle this character with such aplomb as perhaps Will Ferrell would (whom he often resembles in his insanity), and can't tackle a leading role as well as other character actors such as William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and Philip Seymour Hoffman have achieved recently. Dewey Cox is often loveable, and often amusingly stupid, but never entirely endearing and I found it hard to really be taken in by his misfortunes. The story and comedy were rather designed to be more superficially entertaining, which the film certainly was. There were moments of laugh out loud humour, or simply parts of off-the-wall randomness. My favourite moment was perhaps when Dewey finally resists the temptations of drugs, only to turn the corner and find the Temptations singing 'My Girl'. It's stupid and hilarious!
I struggle to tackle this film in the way I have others on this blog as it is designed purely for superficial entertainment, not to be read into. The moral of the story is evident from the beginning because we know exactly what kind of story this intends to be. There is also no subtlety involved, with explicit humour, occassionally deliberately set-up jokes and gratuitous nudity. There's no need to try and tackle this intellectually. It's harmless fun, with out really tackling any real issues.
Maybe it's appropriate to mention, therefore, that I think it's a bit of a shame that the latest crop of comedies to find success aren't a little more sophisticated. The best and most endearing comedies are those that work on several levels and often have a serious message contained within. It would be a pleasant surprise if a new generation of comedies could reach out with a message conveying something of our times, rather than just providing escapist fun. Still, I shan't complain too much. It's always fun to have fun.
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