I slowly warmed up to Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I actually looked forward to seeing it after originally just writing it off as a spoof movie.
Eonline says:
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the new Judd Apatow-John C. Reilly comedy about the life and times of a machete-wielding Johnny Cash type, seemed sure to die a quick death after selling only $4.1 million worth of opening-weekend tickets, per studio estimates compiled Sunday by Exhibitor Relations.
This is yet another Apatow movie, and despite his nonstop track record of hillarity, I didn’t really qualify this as Apatow fare. Was it the quality of the movie (Doug gave it an 8) or were there other factors?
This is a spoof movie, and doesn’t really fit into the Apatowverse of 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked up, or Superbad. And as a rule I generally don’t care for spoof movies (They dont make them like Top Secret or Airplane anymore). But after a few of the trailers I thought it looked pretty funny and expected it to do decently. Hell, Balls of Fury openned bigger than this.
Maybe it was simply that it was set against the opening for National Treasure, Book of Secrets which bathed itself in $45.5 million greenbacks this last weekend.
Or do you think that John C. Reilly just better cast as the eternal sidekick and isn’t a leading man?
18 Comments, Comment or Ping
Kevin C
I dont know, to me it looks like Reilly is kind of a Ferrell clone. Not like hes not talented and is copying him, because he is very talented. But it seems like Ferrells style of humor has rubbed off on him to a point where I feel like Im watching Ferrell and waiting for the same jokes.
Dec 24th, 2007
bassturd
Reily doesn’t get enough credit. He is hilarious. Check his little skits out on a show called “Tim and Eric Awesome Show”. I dunno if I’ve ever laughed so hard. I planned on seeing the movie but I had to travel for the holidays and get together with family. I can’t imagine this was the ideal time to release this movie amonst kiddie movies and movies where parents think it is good to take their kids to while enjoy it themself such as National Treasure. Especially during the holiday.
Dec 24th, 2007
ryan
Despite the weak box office take, the movie is actually pretty entertaining. Sure it’s no “40 year old” or “superbad,” but it’s still worth a watch.
Dec 24th, 2007
Josh Kelhoffer
It was set against National Treasure 2, which is a family adventure film, Sweeney Todd and a Christmas weekend, where so much time is dedicated to family and shopping and all kinds of business that limit peoples time to see all the movies they want and most people I know said they wanted to see all 3 and it either was “i have to see national treasure first” or Sweeney Todd.
Dec 24th, 2007
nbakid2000
The movie looks like it sucks from the trailers. No wonder it was last on everyone’s list (haha).
Dec 24th, 2007
AjaxLou
This is a good idea for a ten minute Saturday Night live skit not a 90 minute or 2 hour movie.
Dec 24th, 2007
Haole
I agree, the trailers have not made me want to see this.
Dec 24th, 2007
alfie
why does this not qualify as a apatow film?
he co wrote it.
he produced.
he didn’t co write superbad….this is more an apatow film than that.
Dec 24th, 2007
Kristina
Reily is not a draw, and to be honest, the commercials looked dumb as hell.
Dec 24th, 2007
Rodney
Alfie, I was suggesting that this movie is less like those other core hits that Apatow is better known for recently.
I never claimed this was not his movie.
Dec 24th, 2007
E Roe
I saw the movie and lmao. It is imaginative, funny and a little raunchy. John C. plays the part very well and has a killer voice. The best parts of the movie would never get past the censors so I guess that limited the trailers.
Go see it and then come back and comment.
Dec 24th, 2007
chris (the real one)
lol at the tim and eric show…..steve bruel is funny as shit, hes gold in that role…..
but i think the fact the movie didnt make a lot of money was the marketing….everybody i know didnt see it because they didnt think the trailers were good at all…..but after the review here and i few others ive read i might just give it a shot
Dec 24th, 2007
Rusty James
I thought the trailers were funny. The movie made me laugh all alone in an empty theater. Reilley has a really offbeat sense of humor that just speaks to me. At first glance the movie is really broad but there’s all these weird and very nuanced quirks that make me laugh.
If anything Reilley rubbed off on Farrell hence Taledega Knight’s weird sense of humor. If anything the undoing of Walkhard is the lack of a strong supporting cast.
Dec 24th, 2007
bjon86
that sucks. this movie was hilarious! but when I told one of my friends that I was goin out to see it this weekend (which I did) he said “it’s out already???” maybe they had bad marketing, I mean that was just one of my friends, but I’d like to think that ppl didn’t see it because they didn’t know it was out rather than not seeing it because they had no interest.
Dec 24th, 2007
helloyou
Ya I blame bad release timing and majority of people having shitty senses of humor. How the hell does this movie do worse than say…Epic movie? Then people on here were saying how funny that new Adam Sandler movie looks. OMFG seriously? “Wow” is all I could say to that.
Dec 24th, 2007
alfie
rodney..i see what you mean.
i have read on a few other sites people using that argument “oh it doesn’t count as a real apatow film because”
but that is only because it has “bombed”
if this had been a hit the apatow disciples would be crowing about the golden streak continuing…
as for the argument that reilly isn’t a draw….well seth rogan was hardly what i would call a draw when knocked up came out…..
“quick everyone lets go and see that movie starring one of the guys who wasn;t steve carrell in 40 year old virgin”
superbad did fine and those 2 guys were hardly what I would call draws….
this has nothing to do with reilly or apatow…it was just an idea that didn’t capture enough peoples attentions
Dec 25th, 2007
Christine
Walk Hard was funny and entertaining and very good. Reilly was great and so was his voice. Also have seen Juno (great), Atonement (great), the Savages (very good), No country for Old Men (great), Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (good), Sweeney Todd (hated it because of the music), and Charlie Wilson’s War (mediocre at best)
Dec 25th, 2007
Agent Doodles
Correct me if I am wrong….but does his cranium look BIG in that poster?
Dec 25th, 2007
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